Fight to the Finish
by M.A.B tales
Summary: Full summary inside. In a universe where some have powers and must fight for their right to live, two of these 'infected' meet and work together to fight against those trying to kill them.
1. Introduction

Hello, everyone.

I've had this idea in my head for quite awhile, and I decided to apply it Shizaya because I figured it'd be enjoyed by people who like horror/sci-fi.

This is a ( **very** ) mature story. Please read warnings about what will be included in the story, as some of them can be triggers. The list will be at the bottom of the introduction.

Summary:

 ** _In a parallel world where, in the year 2015, the world is split into two countries: Sanus and Infirmos. Sanus, where most residents live, is a 'perfect' place where all cultures and ethnicities reside in peace, all are accepted, and life is generally well. Infirmos is where others have been casted off, the sick and dangerous, to live in a place that all must fend for themselves to survive._**

 ** _April 22 2015. 11:32 AM_**

 ** _A day of hell-bringing by supernatural causes has showered the safe haven of Sanus in meteors and disease: for a single day. The next day, every thing seemingly is normal once again but the country is shaken. The country is afraid._**

 ** _On April 22, many were infected with some supernatural disease, engulfing them in the madness that lurks deep in the human mind and granting them superhuman abilities. Many cause violence accidentally, not sure how to control the power inside of them. The mind of the infected contains a voice - some sort of metaphorical embodiment of the negativity of the human mind. The panic and fear, the sadness and anger, the negative emotions, trigger these embodiments, allowing them to gain control of the mind until the other person can stabilize their emotions. These negative emotions, however, are cruel and filled with bloodlust. They cause rioting and panic amongst the people. The government must act fast to calm the normal citizens._**

 ** _It is decided the infected will be sent to Infirmos under the watchful eyes of the government's SICK sanction - a group of elite scientists and soldiers who work day and night to ensure the world of Sanus is healthy and calm. The SICK gather the Originals - a name dubbed onto the infected by future generations - neutralize them, and bring them to Infirmos. A large asylum of the sorts lay near the shores. It has a wide field in the middle, with seats circling around it, and behind the seats are rooms and cages for the infected to reside._**

 ** _The SICK officials soon grow bored. They miss their families, and they become angry at the Originals. Scientists become sadistic. Soldiers are cruel._**

 ** _It is then the SICK decide - with agreement from the government of Sanus - to use this nuisance as a benefit for their home country. They would put the infected up against each other until the 10 strongest are found, and these 10 would be forced to work with police to ensure criminals could not roam Sanus and ruin the safety of the country. The defeated - those who lost fights or did not have a good chance of being in the top 10 - would be experimented on by the scientists, brutalized by the soldiers until they were bored of them and decided to kill them._**

 ** _Scientists realized quickly what power the infected truly had. The body would stop aging completely after it reached a certain stage in life - mostly in young adulthood for those who came as children. Those who were already older stopped aging then and there, and their bodies were immune to disease. Each of the infected had incredible strength, speed, and regeneration. They also had two powers unique to them, some of which included telepathy and elemental manipulation. It was also discovered the only way to kill them was a clean shot to the brain or heart, otherwise, the regeneration would heal them almost instantly._**

 ** _The information was kept quiet and only for the ears of the SICK, as they knew if the government was aware of this, they'd order immediate annihilation._**

 ** _The top ten were found, years later, and the SICK began preparations for exterminating the remaining infected. However, several of the top ten - 2, 6, 4, 10 and 9 - released the infected._**

 ** _The government of Sanus was eventually informed of the mishap, and they immediately ordered that the top ten who stayed work with the SICK to kill all remaining infected and bring the other top ten in for custody to decide upon execution or imprisonment._**

 ** _However, in the years following, 2 had made a name for himself as the 'Berzerk,' - someone who stayed constantly in his mind and giving power to the negative embodiment - entitled by the generations 'berzerks.' 2 was to be executed on sight, but he was so far undefeated._**

 ** _100 years later, and the world of Infirmos is much different than it had once been, filled with generations of infected and normal humans together, with violent police attacks on the citizens of the country in an attempt to gather anyone with a slight bit of connection to the infected._**

 **WARNING: MATURE CONTENT**

 **Mentions of:**

 **rape**

 **abuse**

 **mutilation**

 **suicide**

 **depression**

 **insanity**

 **violence**

 **torture**

 **sex**

 **18+. Read at your own discretion.**

 **EDIT:** **I will be posting warnings for the content at the beginning of each chapter (starting on chapter 3) so that way, if you are triggered by certain things, you can go ahead and skip right past the details. I will post a short summary at the bottom of each chapter (starting on chapter 3), so that way you can stay in the loop. :)**


	2. Chapter 1: 2

His foot tapped on the metal floor under him, pushing aside glass that remained on the ancient building. The empty building had a distinct smell of aged urination and feces, a smell which he wished he was not able to recognize. Sighing, he decided on a corner facing away from the entrance to sleep in for the night.

He moved glass near the entrance to signal him if anyone intruded. He wrapped his hand in his scarf before punching out a mirror from one of the empty rooms, he guessed it was once a restroom, and dragging it to the wall near his corner. After a moment of angling, he had a perfect view of the door. He placed his jacket where he intended to sleep before moving to the entrance and testing to see if he could see his jacket. After more adjustment and testing, he eventually could not see his jacket while, in the corner, the door was visible. Satisfied, he kicked off his boots and reached inside to grab a trinket he had found in the sand: a flip lighter. He reached in his pockets and pulled out the meat he had grotesquely gained from the day's work before holding it over the flame. After what seemed like hours, the meat finally looked edible, and he enjoyed his dinner.

The night finally hit, and he held his knees before closing his eyes. The building transformed around him, and he was back in the arena, surrounded by horrified _freaks_ like him and amused soldiers. The ground was stained with blood, and he could feel himself shaking. He had to keep saying it before he forgot because he would, just like everyone else, forget himself eventually. But he said his name every night since he had begun hearing how people only remembered their ranks.

His name was not 2. His name was not 2.

His lips moved subtly as he slept, dreaming of him standing there shouting his name over and over again.

Izaya Orihara. Izaya Orihara. His name is Izaya Orihara.

His eyes snapped open when he heard a crunch behind him. He looked in the mirror, and, of course, there was a figure slipping inside the building. His eyebrows furrowed, and he quickly silenced his breathing. He grabbed a piece of glass near him, and immediately stood, back pressed against the wall as he watched the intruder from his mirror. He moved his foot, and glass slid, scraping the floor. He cursed under his breath and watched as the figure tensed, looking around before bending down and grabbing a glass piece of his own.

 _Want me to assist you in killing this low life who dared to wake us up?_

Izaya held in a whimper of pain as his mind pounded like a migraine with every word the voice spoke. He had to keep control. He was letting his fear and self-pity consume him, and he wasn't about to go back to not being able to control himself. He had to stay sane. He cleared his mind and breathed in, gripping the glass before kicking himself from the corner and rushing towards the intruder. The figure yelped as Izaya kicked him to the ground, glass piece steady at the intruder's neck. His eyes narrowed, and he stayed silent until the figure under him spoke.

"Get off'a me before I shove my fist in your throat." The voice was coarse and pouty - like he didn't want to do what he threatened and was inconvenienced by simply having to say something. Izaya scoffed and told him not to move.

"I don't have much a choice with whatever this is on my neck." Izaya noted it was, indeed, really dark in the room. All he knew was the man under him was large and sounded like a violent moron. Probably one of the humans, but he had to be sure. His flicked on his lighter and put it up the man's face.

The man - no, the boy as he couldn't be older than 16 - had a scowl painted on his lips, eyebrows furrowed under messy brown hair. He then noticed the boy wiggle underneath him. Confused, Izaya raised and eyebrow and looked at him, prompting an explanation.

"I usually don't let people on top of me without dinner first, let alone not even knowing their name," the kid laughed. He then remembered the glass at his throat and groaned. "My name is Shizuo. Shizuo Heiwajima. And I'm guessing you're paranoid?"

Izaya sighed, pushing up off of Shizuo and standing beside him, dusting his hands off. Shizuo got up as well and smiled at Izaya. Izaya rolled his eyes and began walking back to his corner.

"Leave now. I'm trying to sleep, Shizu, was it?"

"Shizuo. Also, why are you sleeping in here? It's kind of... y'know. It doesn't smell all too great, either."

Izaya was a tad annoyed by the whole ordeal, and his head began pounding. He wanted the kid to leave before his mood went down any further.

"It's comfortable enough for a night. Can you leave?"

Shizuo frowned, walking towards the corner. Izaya was shivering, but his eyes were squeezed shut tightly, trying to sleep it off. Shizuo didn't notice his efforts, however, as he sat down next to him.

"What's your name?"

Izaya's eyes softened before he sighed, looking straight at the figure next to him.

"2. My name is 2."

Shizuo clicked his tongue before standing up quickly, the force causing the mirror to fall over and shatter. Izaya threw his arms in the air, completely exhausted by this boy's oddities.

"I've been trying to be nice here, y'know? I'm trying to be a good guy and help some poor bum who's in this nasty smelling place by offering him a place to sleep, but you can't even have a conversation with me? Do you think you're too good for me, huh?" He grabbed Izaya by his jacket hood and lifted him up to his face, despite not being able to see it.

"So you keep telling me to leave, but I want to help, you punk ass. And what do you do? You give me a number and expect me to believe some pouty little shit like you is 2. You're like 10."

"I'm 20, you idiot."

"How am I supposed to know that? Anyway, you need to fuckin' communicate with me because I am trying to nice here. So be nice back, or I'll kick your damn teeth in."

Izaya smirked.

Then he chuckled.

Then he giggled.

Then he bust out in full on laughter, causing Shizuo to drop the man on the ground out of confusion.

Finally, he composed himself and breathed in.

"What a stupid speech, eh? You sound like a real brute, y'know that kid? Anyone ever told you that you aren't the smartest bulb in the circuit?" He laughed a tiny bit more before looking over at the entrance. "My name is Izaya Orihara, but most people call me 2. I am sleeping here because it is the best I could find in a short moment. Now, as much as I appreciate being manhandled into accepting an invitation, I am completely fine sleeping in my smelly corner, uh.. Shizu, right? I forgot. Introduction is over, and you can leave now. Thanks for the laugh, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo pursed his lips and groaned, cursing under his breath.

"I tried, but y'know what? I don't even think it's the building that smells. I'm thinking it's you. Also, it's Shi-zu-O. Don't forget the O. And you called me stupid." He turned around violently, as a display of his discontentment, and stormed from the building.

Izaya watched, in the broken fragments of the mirror, the silhouette of the strange man leave before sighing to himself.

Now he could sleep.

 _I am Izaya Orihara. I am Izaya Orihara. I am -_


	3. Chapter 2: Encounters

It took a moment for him to register the gunshots and screaming were not ruminants of his dreams. They were coming from outside the old building he had been resting in, and Izaya immediately knew the bastards had closed in on him. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the horrified cries of the people outside. Finally, he stood, slipping his jacket on and putting his hood over his head. He lifted his face mask to cover his nose - along with the brand the government had pressed into his cheek the day he received his ranking. With that, he rushed outside.

People were crying over dead bodies and sobbing for someone to "stop this." He looked over, eyes widening.

The young man from last night was hurling the officers' own cars at them, screaming to get out. He examined the scene before realizing an officer had gotten behind Shizu and prepared to fire a cannon right through his chest. Izaya kicked off, lifting his arms up as blades flicked from his arms and pierced through his skin. The pain still made him flinch after all these years, he noted, and he'd have to sleep off the migraine thumping in his head as the voice laughed.

"FIRE." One of the officers yelled, causing Shizuo to widen his eyes and glance behind him. For a second, he prepared himself to feel the pain, but in the same instant that he had spotted the officer, blood splashed across his clothes and the ground. He dropped the car and fell to the ground, looking at his hands.

Did he do that? He knew his strength surpassed the Originals' - that was his gift - but did he have an untapped power, a second one that he somehow got like the Originals?

"Get up and get out of here, brute."

A familiar voice caused Shizuo to rip away from his thoughts as his eyes landed on the culprit that had completely obliterated the officer behind him. The officer, who's hand was eerily close to Shizuo's own, trembling hand, was completely in two. He looked up and watched as the man from the night before kicked off and spun, slicing through the officers that had infiltrated the village Shizuo called home. He watched as officers fell, one by one, sometimes one by two depending on the slice. The lone officer that was left fell to the ground and plead.

"We were told to get rid of them, please! I just want to see my family! I just want to go home! I'm just doing my job," he sobbed, staring into the eyes of a monster. The monster he knew was the infamous 2. He had studied him in Officer Training. The slicing, the spins, the way he stood - cold and empty. The way the officer knew 2 would not give mercy. The way the officer knew to say his last goodbyes.

Izaya stared down at the man and kicked up his foot, letting a blade shoot through his boot and prepared to swing.

However, he was pushed aside by an angry brunette boy, who stared down at him with eyes that would make any other being feel weak and shameful.

"What are you doing, getting in my wa-"

"I hate the fucks as much as anyone, but what is he going to do to anyone now? He's horrified. He's useless. They'll probably kill him when he returns to his base anyway. Let him have the possibility to live, though. You're human, too. Somewhere in there."

Izaya stared at the panting boy, as the officer stood and ran. He scowled under his mask, causing it to slip.

The brand was visible, and Shizuo's eyes widened.

"Y-You really are..."

Izaya let out an aloof _tch_ before getting on his feet and staring at the villagers. They were coming out of their buildings, wiping their tear soaked faces, and whispers filled his ears.

He had been praised that night, given clothes, food, and a place to sleep. He already knew young kids were whispering about him, and the few that talked to him only talked to a deadpan, emotionless man who seemed to find this attention more of a nuisance than flattering.

Shizuo sat on the chair in the room Izaya was in as he got doctored up, watching as he fiddled with the bandages on his arms when the doctors left the room.

"You're a legend," Shizuo spat, annoyed that someone so rude was getting massive attention by his village. Izaya looked up at him, and he sighed.

"I see. Humans tend to idolize beings close to some sort of representation of God incarnate," he replied in a monotone voice, avoiding eye contact.

Shizuo watched as Izaya continued to fiddle with the bandages, accidentally pulling one apart. When Izaya's eyes narrowed at the fabric, Shizuo groaned and got to his feet. Walking up to the standoffish Original, he tucked his fingers into one of the loose pieces before sliding the fabric back into place and hissed when he realized he had to do the whole thing over because Izaya had completely messed it up by continuously messing with it.

The fire crackled behind them and filled a silence besides for Shizuo's heavy breathing and the sound of Izaya picking at the sheets.

Izaya began to study the boy fixing his bandages, watching his body carefully. He was attractive, although he was irked to admit it, considering he was somewhere around 130. The boy also had small wrinkles in between his eyebrows, which Izaya assumed got there from being angry all the time. He breathed loudly, but it was possibly because he didn't breathe through his nose, and he felt warm breath on his arm when Shizuo leaned in closer to carefully wrap his arm correctly.

"How old are you, Shizu?" He gazed up at him, watching Shizuo slightly flinch at the sudden noise filling the silence.

"Oh. I'm 19. Why do you care, asshole?"

Izaya smirked, realizing how annoying this kid actually was. But, he thought to himself, at least it wasn't as creepy to find him attractive. He looked young - 16, maybe 17 - but, then again, he forgets what he looked like at that age. He had longer hair then, messy and unkept, and he was completely hollow by then. He was cruel by the time he was 16 or 17, as one had to be back in the arena.

"I was just curious. You have wrinkles already, so I figured you were thirty or fourty," he teased, grinning as Shizuo's lips grew into an impatient grimace.

"Listen here, shithead. I-"

"Shizu, why were you trying to fight them alone?"

Shizuo's hands froze, tensing at the question. His eyes softened, and he breathed in before working at the bandages again.

"I'm the only one of us left. I mean, y'know, only -"

"Infected? Freak? Mutant?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm the only left in the village. They've raided us before, and the leader - the one who started our village - was a tiny old woman. She was an Original. She was very kind, and she always smiled. I never knew why she never seemed to be angry or sad by it all, but," his voice trailed off as he bit his lip. "One day, a few months after I was born, the officers came. My mother was there, and she, along with several other.. of our kind... Fought them. But there was hundreds of them. They took out my father quickly, according to my older brother. They took my mom. I hear Asians descendants are kind of rare - are you one? Your name sounds like-"

"I am. I was born in Sanus, but my grandparents were Japanese before the world war happened."

Shizuo nodded. "My older brother said they took her, and they sold her. That's what they do with us - the females, anyway - sometimes the males, but it's mostly children and women." He growled. "Fucking sickos. Anyway, the whole ordeal left us with just my brother and I, along with a few other kids and adults with powers. My brother ended up... Well, he died. The other kids decided to run off and fight them, and I'm sure they are dead now, too. The officers came because of the adults and myself, and they all died to protect me. I owe it to the village to put my life down to save them."

Izaya nodded, staring the kid up and down. He had a pathetic life, but he didn't expect any different. Life for their kind wasn't too passive. Finally, he clicked his tongue.

"They're gonna keep coming back because they have these things. They made them back when I was in the original gathering. They can sense abnormalities amongst people with these little devices. As long as you're here, they're going to keep coming back."

Shizuo stopped adjusting the bandage and dipped his head down, his hair covering his eyes.

"You know that. You said it yourself. The officers came for the adults and you. So why do you stay?"

Shizuo gripped at the arm, not intentionally, but he squeezed, causing Izaya to yelp. Shizuo loosened his grip, softening his eyes.

"Why do you care, asshole? Keep being nosy, and I'll knock your teeth in." He smiled at the bandage and turned around, waving as a sign of his departure.

Izaya smirked.

"You're afraid you'll die on your own, aren't you?"

 **I decided to make Kasuka the older brother, just because I figured it'd be more angsty to leave lil' Shizuo all alone after being raised by his big brother. (TFW you love to hurt your babies. I'm sorry, Shizuo. ;; It's a sickness, y'know! From watching all those angsty movies and TV shows.)**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy! It'll get better as it goes on, I promise. I have so many ideas!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3: What Makes Us So Darn Special

**OKAY. Really long A/N, guys! You can skip past this, but I'm going to be putting some important information pertaining to this story below. So if you want to be in the loop outside of the actual story, then go ahead and read it.**

 **FIRST. I'm going to be posting two chapters a day. I've already posted one today, but I might go ahead and write three today because of this whole decision. Why? Glad you asked. This story is going to be pretty long. (Sorry, fans of short fics!) This story was originally supposed to be an original story, with original characters, so I have a loooot of ideas for this. As well as having two chapters a day, I'm going to make the chapters here on out be longer than 1k words. I don't want the story to have 50+ chapters unless I have to, so it's going to be pretty long each chapter. I don't want the story to end abruptly or have sloppy ideas for the sake of time and shortness, so I'm going to write more to develop ideas.**

 **SECONDLY. (This one is the one I want people to read 'cause I want to do something neat for this story. :)) While I have a set plot and set ship (Shizaya, obviously), I want this story to be very interactive! So if you have any ideas, any ships you'd like somehow incorporated into the story, or if you think you have a cool bad guy/kick ass good guy, go ahead and submit some ideas in the reviews! I'll look each one over and try my best to incorporate one idea a day into the story. I just think this story would be really fun (er... maybe fun isn't the best word for an angst fic) if you guys were apart of it! :)**

 _ **Ohmygodthisissuchalongintroimsosorry**_

 **I'm probably going to post the below part in the Introduction chapter, so if you want to skip past this (trigger warnings), go right ahead.**

 **LASTLY. I will be posting warnings for the content at the beginning of each chapter so that way, if you are triggered by certain things, you can go ahead and skip right past the details. I will post a short summary at the bottom of each chapter (starting here on out), so that way you can stay in the loop. :)**

 **OKAY. -clap- Now that that is over, let's get to the story.**

 **WARNING: rape, suicide mention**

Shizuo froze, letting the taunt slip into his thoughts. It was true, of course, but he wouldn't admit it. Not to that scumbag over there, who would mercilessly slaughter anyone he wanted because he could. He growled and continued walking out of the home given to Izaya for the night.

"Shizu, wait. I didn't mean it in a bad way. I w-"

Shizuo was out of ear shot in seconds, before slamming his back onto the wall of the adjacent building. He slammed his fist into the brick, causing pieces to wither off like rose petals. The whole day caused him anxiety, and, for some reason, every time he was around that damn Original, his anxiety shot through the roof. He looked into the window of the home Izaya was in, watching as the raven plucked the bandages straight from his arm.

Annoyed by his idiocy, Shizuo growled and stormed back in.

"Listen, moron. Those cuts that you did to yourself will get infe-"

Shizuo's eyes widened, and he quickly grabbed at Izaya's arm. It was clean; there was not a single scratch on his arm. Izaya pulled his arm away and clicked his tongue.

"It takes longer when it's not life threatening. My regeneration, I mean. 30 minutes for stuff like this. Probably still faster than what your body does, but, if it's not going to kill me, my body just takes its time. Do you have regeneration, huh? Being a freak and all?"

Shizuo shook his head and scowled at 'freak,' but he was still in awe of the arm and stayed silent.

"I see. That's upsetting. Then you're an even bigger idiot for fighting them off alone. Only a real moron would go in and die for the sake of dying." Izaya hummed. His eyes looked around and spotted a painting on the wall. He smiled. "It's kind of nice artists get inspiration in times like this. When it's all said and done, the world won't be able to forget what happened because of those guys."

Shizuo looked over at the painting as well and smiled.

"My brother did that. He was an artist, y'know. Not just for painting and stuff, either. He used to put on plays for the little kids. He really loved making people forget we were in Hell." He laughed, fiddling his thumbs. "Sometimes, the kids would hate him for weeks because he would play a bad guy so well. Other times, they would idolize him as some sort of God because of the heroes he'd play. He was really good at doing that stuff, y'know? Making people get interested in a story."

Izaya nodded, urging him to go on. Hearing the brute talk relaxed his nerves, and he even got to blow off steam by taunting him.

"How'd he die, Shizu?" Izaya pushed when Shizuo fell silent. The brunette bit his lip, scratching at his thumb with the other's nail.

"One time, he was writing something, and he got angry in the middle of it. I'd never seen him angry before. He always looked emotionless and cold, but then he'd go on stage, and all those emotions he didn't show or, maybe even, that he didn't have would leak out. So seeing him angry, I thought it was another performance. Just for me. But it wasn't." Shizuo sighed. "I don't know why I'm telling you, you creep. Why are you so damn nosy?"

The Original smirked, scratching at his foot and peeling off the bandage from there as well.

"No one has stories to tell anymore, Shizu-chan. You hear the same ones over and over. Families are torn apart or kept together. They all die, though. Usually as a family. Most freaks like to work as groups."

"Stop calling us freaks."

Izaya looked over and saw the brunette scowling, clenching his fists.

"Ah, then do you have a name for us, then?"

Shizuo opened his mouth but immediately closed it. He realized he didn't. He called ordinary people 'humans,' but what did that make him? A monster? A mutant? A _freak?_

Izaya pursed his lips. "Anyway, I'm being nosy because you're an idiot. Most people fight for themselves. You don't. I want to know why. I'm interested in humans, I suppose." He looked over Shizuo. "And you're as close to ordinary as an," he stuck his fingers up and motioned air quotes, "'infected' can get."

Shizuo huffed but leaned back in the chair he had sat in moments prior.

"I didn't know my brother was going crazy. He ended up going off to fight the officers by himself. When he won, he came back and sat in that building you were in for days, staring at his hands. He ended up shooting himself in the head."

"He stole a gun from the officers? Ballsy. Those have tracking devices."

Shizuo shook his head.

"My brother could turn things into things. He could turn a piece of grass into a cannon. Instead, he turned a piece of glass into a gun."

Izaya looked away from the brunette. How pathetic a life this kid had had thus far.

"I didn't want to fight, you know. If that's what you're thinking. I wasn't looking for suicide by officer. I just wanted to protect my village at all costs. And you look at me with those deadpan eyes, but I can feel you judging me," Shizuo growled, getting angrier. He knew he was making assumptions, but he had gotten angry, thinking about his brother. He was taking it out on Izaya, and he knew it.

"I protect them because we, as a race, owe it to them."

Izaya's eyes narrowed and a scowl grew on his lips.

"Excuse me? What do I owe to them, exactly?"

Shizuo shook his head.

"Life in Infirmos was a lot different, I heard. They used to fend for themselves, eventually probably would've killed each other off. But we prolonged their lives, y'know? A lot of Originals hooked up with humans, and the generations kept going. I would hate us, too. Officers would leave them alone before the Originals broke out. Then they came around, shooting anyone who they thought even associated with one."

Izaya clenched his fist before shooting a cold gaze right into Shizuo's eyes.

"Then they turned us over, killed us. Some of us had to do God awful things just to be let go. And, even then, sometimes, they still turned us in. Or worse, we'd be tortured," Izaya breathed in. Calm down. Calm down. His headache was coming in full throttle. He cleared his mind. "We regenerate. The, what was it? The Originals? We regenerate. They'd take us in and strap us down. They'd rip our limbs off. We can grow them back, but we still felt the pain each and every time, Shizu. I don't owe them anything."

Izaya closed his eyes. He was getting angry. Stay emotionless. Stay empty. Stay cold.

 _Oh, don't pretend you don't want to remember. It fuels you up, kid. It makes you angry. It gives you power. We can go slaughter all of them right now, y'know._

Izaya winced, holding his head and whimpering.

"Shut up, shut up. Shut up."

"I-Izaya? Are yo-"

Izaya blinked and cursed under his breath. He had let his emotions get the better of him, and now he was in his own mind, again. He had to hurry and get control back before _it_ got control of his body. He tried clearing his mind.

 _"How much do you think he'll sell for, Dex?"_

 _"He's strong. Besides for his deadpan attitude, I think he's a high price target."_

 _The hands touched his chest, roamed his body. Izaya looked away, deadpan. The only way he'd be able to get out this damn officer trade was to what they wanted. He spread his legs and let fingers trail his body. He moaned when they asked. He promised to be a 'good boy.'_

Izaya's eyes shut tightly, and Shizuo watched as his body went limp, collapsing forward. He caught the man, twitching in his arms. He didn't know what to do, setting him down and rushing off to find an elder.

The raven saw it: it was him, in a way. It was always in the same form. It hid behind Izaya's eight year old face, torn clothes and a bruised face. Just like the day it had entered him.

 _C'mon, don't you want to go take them down?_ Izaya's young voice taunted, reaching a hand out.

Izaya turned away from his childhood self, feeling his heart racing with every word it spoke to him. He had to calm down. He had to calm down. He had to calm down. He had to-

Izaya's eyes snapped open to knives to his forehead and chest, arms strapped down. Shizuo stared wide-eyed in the corner. Upon seeing the raven's eyes snap open, he pushed forward.

"Wait, wait! Izaya, is that you? Are you...you?"

Izaya mumbled incoherently, trying to get out of his daze.

An older man from the back stepped forward. Izaya noted he was very aged, very thin, but he already knew what the older man thought. He tried to gain full control of each part of his mind back to speak.

"Shizuo, it is good that you brought this to our attention. However, it would be best if you left, so that you do not witness an execution."

"A-An execution? I just wanted to help him, Christopher! I'm not a big fan of his, ei-"

Izaya laughed and looked over at Shizuo.

"Shizu-chan, you're an idiot. They weren't going to kill me because they don't like me," he groaned. He watched the older man wave the people away from him and unstrapped him, sighing in relief.

"I apologize, 2. Please forgive me. I could not let my village be taken over by someone we could not stop otherwise."

Izaya winced upon hearing '2' but chose to dismiss the nickname. He sat up, rubbing his wrists.

"Don't worry about it. I've done the same thing, honestly."

After a brief discussion, a few laughs, and another one hundred apologies, the group left, leaving Shizuo and Izaya alone. Izaya could feel Shizuo's confusion emitting from his mind. Finally, he gestured the chair he had been sitting in prior to his emotional break.

Shizuo sat down and waited for an explanation.

"Do you know why Infirmos was created, Shizu-chan?"

"Stop calling me that, flea."

"Flea? If you get to give me such a demeaning nickname, I'm calling you Shizu-chan."

"Stop calling me Shizu-chan, and I'll stop calling you flea."

"Listen here, ki-"

"Yes, I do. Infirmos was created for killers. Bad guys."

Izaya nodded, kicking his feet as he watched Shizuo raise his eyebrows.

"Infirmos was created for bad guys. Do you know why we were sent here?"

Shizuo shook his head.

"The Originals, as you call us, were very afraid and confused. Being that way let something inside of us awaken. And that thing inside of us took control of some of us. And some of us became a much more dangerous thing to humans than just being mutant freaks. We were unstoppable forces of power. Blood thirsty. We couldn't control our bodies. The thing inside of us just wanted to cause as much pain as possible. It enhances our abilities. It makes our skin almost impossible to penetrate after a few minutes of losing control. It's our ultimate weapon against humans."

Shizuo frowned, staring at his hands.

"From what I can tell, Shizu, it only applies to Originals. Ever heard of what I'm talking about?"

"It sounds like..berzerks.. But those were just stories old people told us to scare us. They told us they made it up."

Izaya shook his head.

"Berzerks, huh? Interesting choice. I guess it fits. But no. They are very real. And if I had lost control of my emotions, then you wouldn't be here to know that berzerks are real."

Shizuo nodded, realizing what exactly made Originals legends in the eyes of offspring like himself. The power the Originals had were horrifying, and it didn't surprise him to know that officers would do anything to keep them dead.

He pursed his lips.

"Izaya, why haven't you killed yourself?"

The raven's eyes widened, looking at Shizuo with surprise. The thought of suicide hadn't entered his mind in a very long time, and he really hadn't thought about why he stopped thinking about it until now.

He closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'm going to take down every last person that wants to kill our kind. I'm going to be able to leave this world knowing that future generations will live in peace."

 **Working through a stomach ache because I really wanted to elaborate on what the berzerks were. And I also wanted Shizuo to talk about Kasuka. ;;**

 **I know the whole "why haven't you killed yourself" is kind of forward and a tad out there, but when your brother did it to escape his own cursed fate of being a mutant/freak/thing (Someone should offer a nickname for them that'd be super), I'm assuming you'd think Originals would do it. Pluuus, that WILL be elaborated on - the whole forward question, I mean.**

 **ANYWHO. I hope you enjoyed. I decided I'm only going to do Chapter 2 and 3 today 'cause I began having a killer stomach ache right about the time Izaya and his little...Izaya were interacting.**

 **:^) Leave a review, constructive criticism (which would be appreciated to make the story more enjoyable for all your inner critics out there!), or some ideas. I'm all ears, folks.**

 **(SUMMARY BELOW FOR CHAPTER 3)**

 **When Shizuo begins learning more and more about what makes an Original special, he accidentally triggers what makes an Original so deadly as well. His perception on the world leaves Izaya in an emotional frenzy, causing him to have to fight for control. When he regains his mind, he tells Shizuo the truth about why Originals were so hated and casted out of society - the violence they caused back at Sanus. He then tells Shizuo his mission: He wants to take out anyone who isn't working for peace for freaks like him and humankind.**


	5. Chapter 4: Reliving Hell

**A/N: Hi, hi! Thank you guys for following the story! I hope you keep reading it and enjoy it!**

 **WARNING: drowning mention**

 **_**

Shizuo was filled with abundant surprise - as he should have been. Before the applauding and admiration began, Izaya stuck his hand up.

"Don't misunderstand my sentiments. My grandmother would play videos for me when I was a kid. Videos that I keep stored right at the tip of my memory for comfort, in all this. I want the world to be at peace simply because the videos she showed me displays that peace cannot be achieved through Sanus and Infirmos."

The brunette furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you mean? All the good people are on Sanus - the most peaceful place in the world. All the bad pe-"

"Are you saying you are a bad person, Shizu?"

Shizuo's eyes widened. If it were true, that all good people were on Sanus and all the bad on Infirmos, would that mean the world saw him as a bad person? If someone from the other side saw a picture of him with his residency labeled on his forehead, would they see 'EVIL' instead of wondering if it's just his born location? Was he a bad person? Did the thing inside of him mean he was a monster? Was he a monster?

Izaya clicked his tongue impatiently.

"This videos showed my grandmother traveling. It was a documentary about her world trip. Anyway, the world was a lot different. Multiple countries, people being free to be. Sure, there was still bad people, but the humans lived as they wished. They did what they wanted, for the most part, and that is what I consider peace. Humankind living as they should - without having to conform to a certain behavior to be allowed to live freely."

Shizuo noted the passion in Izaya's eyes for the first time since they had met, admiring his fervor for a world the brunette couldn't even fathom.

"I- I want to be apart of that," he mumbled, causing Izaya to narrow his eyes and smile. "I don't like violence, y'know? I really hate it. But I want the world to be like that. Where I can live, and no one is trying to kill me just for existing."

"You don't like violence? You seem to be a fan of, what was it? Knocking teeth in."

"I just don't like you, Izaya."

The tinier man scoffed, looking away from the younger boy. He wondered - if maybe - he could somehow make that happen. He wanted to paint the world like he had seen it in the videos. The ones he had been replaying in his head since he was forced into the arena.

"Well, then, why don't you come with me?"

Shizuo's eyes widened, standing up quickly.

"I can't just lea-"

"Staying here will only cause more damage, Shizu. You should know that. You were the reason why a few people died earlier, neh? The officers were looking," he jabbed Shizuo in the chest with his pointer finger and smiled widely, "you."

The brunette opened his mouth to protest, but he immediately sat back down, absorbing the reality. He was the only left in the village. The only offspring of the Originals. The officers would keep coming.

"You can stay and keep fighting all you want. Keep being the reason why people die. Keep being the reason why your village stares at you coldly behind a smile that is fake. I, on the other hand, will be off eliminating the threat to people like them."

Shizuo let the information gather in his head, trying to outweigh the reasons why he shouldn't over the reasons that he should. But the reality was simple: He had thought about leaving before, but he had been afraid to die. Now, he had the strongest Original with him to keep him alive. So why was he fighting the solution to the village's problems?

Simply put: he didn't like Izaya. It wasn't that he wanted him dead, but his nature - something about how he handled situations with a kill-or-be-killed attitude - irked him. Sure, if he went with him, he could know him better. He also did save his life.

"What are the benefits?" That was the only thing he could think of to stall time. Izaya thought it was pretty idiotic as well.

"You don't die. You don't watch these people die. You get to help out take down the people who keep causing you pain. Take out the people your brother killed himself over."

Shizuo winced, realizing telling Izaya anything personal would only lead to him using it as a weapon. It hurt, but, then again...

The people of the village had protected Shizuo from horrors like reality. They always took good care of him, and he was never made to feel left out. But Izaya was right, and Shizuo had been made aware of their true thoughts long ago. He heard the whispers. He saw the way they looked at him when they thought his eyes were closed. He heard the things they said when they thought he was asleep.

" _Nothing like his brother. I feel more at danger with him here."_

 _"He's got an explosive temper AND leads the officers here? Why does the elder treat him like he's our ultimate savior?"_

He closed his eyes and breathed in.

"When do we go?"

"Right now." Izaya didn't miss a beat. He knew Shizuo was easily manipulatable. The reality was easy to break down: if he took this guy with him, he'd be able to have a guard dog who believed his life was at the infamous 2's feet.

And Shizuo knew that his life, truly was, at the hands of Izaya.

_

After a minute, Izaya realized that Shizuo was still young and needed rest. He, also, needed to sleep. He was exhausted from his encounter with _it_ and knew he'd be a lot more irritable if he didn't sleep some of the day off.

So, he told Shizuo to go to his home and pack up what could be carried in a single pouch - conveniently, Shizuo had found a backpack on the ground years ago.

They met when everyone was asleep, and, well-rested and determined, set off.

The sand underneath their feet made soft crunches and slid around as they walked in silence. Shizuo, although, had thoughts loud in mind and plenty of questions he needed answered. The farther from his village the two were, the more anxiety and doubt filled his head.

Somewhere down the line, Izaya had suggested that they make camp as it was too late to just walk until they ran into another community. This, Shizuo realized, was the perfect time to have a real conversation.

Izaya began cooking meat he stole - along with a bit he had been given - from Shizuo's village, much to the brunette's chagrin. But, he kept his mouth shut, as he knew that sticking with Izaya meant they'd be stealing for survival and doing much worse things in the long run.

"You've had that same stupid look on your face since we left, Shizu. What are you thinking?"

Shizuo looked up at Izaya, who had not even glanced to see Shizuo's reaction. His eyes stayed on the meat, watching the edges turn brown over the fire they had spent a little too long creating.

"I have questions. About a lot of stuff, but I don't know how to ask."

Izaya sighed, lifting the ready meat up out of the fire and setting it on his laid out jacket before leaning back on his palms. He made a point to cross his ankles and roll his head. With a quick groan and hand flick, Izaya muttered something short of "Hurry up and ask."

Shizuo nodded, eyes fixated on the fire to somehow guide him through his thought process.

"How were rankings determined? I mean, I get if you're the strongest and all. But, you're 2, right? How did that happen?"

The raven clicked his tongue and looked off, trying to find an accurate way of explaining.

"This is going to be long, Shizu, so get comforta-"

Shizuo flipped over and laid on his stomach, resting his chin on the back of his hands, nodding for Izaya to continue. The older man laughed.

"Alright. So, like I said, I was dumped on this part of the world when I was eight. Back then, they didn't know what to do with us. For the most part, we sat back and thought about home. Talked about how scared we were. Tried to find people we knew. Which, by the way, turned out to be one of the dumbest things we could've done."

Izaya thought back to the faces of familiar students from his school and pursed his lips.

"Then, one day, it was decided that we'd be ranked. No one knew exactly what this meant besides for the officers, but I guess that wouldn't have made them the smartest guys in the room, eh? Anyway, I don't remember exactly what all happened, but I'll never forget... They came into my bunk, handcuffed me, and lead me down this hall. I remember them saying something like -"

 _"I feel bad that some kid is going to die, but he has about as much chance as the elderly do. Cap'n Malone said something about pitting the weak against the weak for now."_

"- having to sort us by appeared strength. They led me to this big room, took the handcuffs off, and some tall lady came in. She told me I'd have to fight the person in the arena."

 _"Child, you are to go into that arena, and you will be fighting for your life. The other person WILL be trying to kill you. You fight to the death or to unconsciousness. We will stop the fight when we determine the winner. Do you understand?"_

"I didn't really get it. I was eight, so how was I supposed to know what fighting someone to the death meant? Not only that, but I had only used my power once. And on accident. It didn't really matter, though, because the cage opened, and I was forced into the lot. That's when I realized why it was such a stupid idea to get close to people you already knew in there. My opponent was a classmate's older brother. He looked about as scared as I did. We heard a bell go off, and he rushed towards me, crying and screaming he was so sorry."

Shizuo adjusted his position and laid on his side instead, trying to picture the scenario in his head.

He imagined a young version of himself having to fight against some person he knew - or at least - a friend's relative. Realizing Izaya was still here, he then imagined having to kill that person.

"I ended up slicing his throat on accident. I didn't even know how to get," he tapped his arm, "those things out me. My body just wanted to protect me. The kid had lifted me into the air with his thoughts, y'know? How do you compete with that? But I did. And when he came to crush my ribs, I had kicked up and sliced his throat 'cause one of those blades decided to pop out of my foot."

Shizuo nodded, realizing that had been the case for most of the Originals - not having control of their bodies but having to quickly learn how to work it to survive.

"I ended up somehow ranking in the top 100, and I had this nickname. 'Chrome' or something. The other infected guys were betting on who would win with whatever they could - extra food portions, drinks, more comfortable sleeping spots, protection from guys who killed people in their sleep to slide up the ranks. Anyway, when you got to the top 100, that's when most of the people were using both of their abilities. In the lower ranks, one ability was usually too taxing on a body to even think about using the second. But making it to the top 100 meant you were able to control yourself pretty well."

"You..have two abilities?"

"Eh? All Originals do. We have plenty of things I'm guessing you guys don't. Strength, durability, agility, speed, regeneration."

"I have strength."

"You and I are probably at different levels. I have strength by default. Your strength is probably enhanced. If I punched you, it'd probably hurt. If you punched me, you could probably break my bones."

"Anyway, you have two abilities?"

Izaya nodded, placing a finger on his lips and winking as a sign to let him finish.

"The fight that put me in the top 10, and eventually, as rank 2, was against a friend of mine. Number 6. At the time, he was number 12, and I was number 15. We kept fighting, and we kept getting close to killing each o-"

"I thought you were friends."

"You don't get to spare someone's life because you are friends in the arena. It was okay to make friends as long as you knew that you would probably end up trying to kill each other."

Shizuo's body shook. He couldn't imagine that. He couldn't imagine having to live in a place for years and continuously having to kill people who suffered as you did.

"He was also from Japanese descent. His name is Shinra-"

"Is?"

"I told you, he IS a friend of mine. He IS number 6. He IS alive."

"I thought you had to fight to the death?"

"Do you think I went undefeated? I'd be number 1 if that were the case. Hell, anyone who reached the top 10 would be considered number 1. We fought to the death if it came to that, but, most of the time, the officers would tell us to stop and have a determined winner."

The brunette tried to make sense out of the whole ordeal, but the concept seemed too foreign to understand if he had never been apart of it.

"He had the ability to manipulate the voice in our head - the berzerks. Make them more riled up. He also had the ability to hit pin points in our bodies that would make it harder to regenerate. He broke my leg during the fight. It was broken for a whole day. Insane, really. Anyway, I won the fight. And, I ended up going on a winning streak and hitting rank 2."

The younger boy sat up, furrowing his eyebrows.

"What is your other power, Izaya?"

The raven smiled, cocking his head to the side.

"I can manipulate perception."

"What?"

Izaya laughed and looked to his side, smiling at Shizuo. The brunette looked over as well.

In place of the empty field that had once been there, there was a lake. Shizuo's mouth fell open as he got up and walked towards it.

"Careful, Shizuo. It will feel very real. Even if there is no water there, you can drown."

The brunette scoffed, mistaking the warning as a taunt or an insult to his intelligence. He stepped in the water and felt no ground as he slipped underneath the surface.

Izaya sighed and pushed himself up, walking towards the brunette. He was on the ground, his arms flying in all directions as he kept gaping for air. He grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him up, watching as the taller boy breathed in heavily.

"I told you, didn't I?"

Shizuo looked back down, realizing he was, once again, on the field. He stared at Izaya with horror, trying to gather his thoughts.

Izaya truly was powerful.

But this realization made Shizuo's blood run cold as he froze.

"Shi-"

"If you're rank 2... what is rank 1 like...?"

_

 **AGH. I'M A LIAR. I said I'd write two a day, but I have so much work I've blown off for the past few days, and it's all due today. Oops. I will be writing one maybe later on today, if I have time, but, if not, I'll make it up with three tomorrow (probably.)**

 **I tried to make this one really long, though! I can't see the word count considering I like to write the story in the copy-n-paste part, but it took awhile for me to finish the chapter.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Like before, don't be afraid to give me some ideas, some criticism to improve the story, or just some kind of review. (I'm always a** **slut** **for reviews. ;))**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **Shizuo and Izaya discuss what world peace is in the eyes of the Original. Izaya convinces Shizuo to come with him to achieve this, and 2 relives his days at the arena. He tells Shizuo about his friend Shinra - rank 6 with the ability to manipulate the berzerks and slow down regeneration. Izaya shows Shizuo his second ability: the power to manipulate perception. Shizuo realizes just how powerful Izaya is, but this just leaves him wondering: what could the top ranking Original really be like?**


	6. Chapter 5: Old Friends

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for my absence. I have been in and out of the house, so writing has been difficult to do. I'm going to write a pretty long chapter today because I have an essay due. (insert sarcastic cheering)**

 **Enjoy the chapter, guys!**

 **P.S. Thank you so, so much for your kind words and lovely reviews. I really liked a particular idea one of you gave, and I know exactly how I'm going to develop the relationship between Shizuo and Izaya now. (non-sarcastic cheering)**

 **_**

Shizuo watched Izaya as he slept, simply because he couldn't. He was incredibly awake, and he was frightened. His focus stayed on the raven, who's face seemed much more strained in his sleep than when he was awake. His watched his face go from calm and passive to a twitching scowl and shaking hands. The brunette hugged his legs and closed his eyes, trying to give a face to 1.

 _Izaya blinked, letting go of Shizuo's hand and almost letting him drop back to the ground._

 _"1..." Izaya breathed in, rubbing his thumb. He laughed, "1 is interesting, you know. Being who she is, it's insane to think she's even real. Some consider her a myth - I'm the strongest you can get, but they're lying to themselves. 1 is very real."_

 _Shizuo watched the raven bite his lip._

 _"Have you ever lost control, Shizu? Have you ever been unable to control what you are doing?"_

 _Shizuo nodded, remembering the times he got into fights as a kid when the human kids made fun of his brother. Izaya looked down and smiled._

 _"I was ranked number 2, but the soldiers had decided to see if I could go higher. So I got down there, and I was ready. I was prepared to win - to be a God amongst humans. No, a God amongst even monsters like us. But as soon I let the blades pop out of my arm, I had regretted doing so. Her... her eyes. They were red. And suddenly my arm was up to my neck, twisting slowly until the blades were close to my throat. I tried to shove my arm back down, but it pulled away from me and began..."_

 _Izaya held his throat and rubbed it._

 _"We can't die, Shizu. Not like you guys. We have to have a clean shot to the brain or heart. You can literally," he breathed in, looking strained, "be decapitated."_

 _Shizuo stepped back, grabbing at his own neck and trying to catch his breath._

 _"Her name is Anri. And she is rank 1. Reason being.. She decapitated me in 15 seconds. That was the longest fight she had ever been in. No one has ever seen her second ability." He laughed, rubbing his throat._

 _"Losing your head isn't like growing back another hand for most regeneration. You have to pick it up and stick it back on and let the neck regenerate. Imagine seeing your headless body. Imagine watching it fall over. Imagine having to see soldiers coming up and dragging your body back inside before picking up your head and telling you you'll be whole again in a minute." He sighed. "Imagine looking over and seeing a girl fix her glasses and wipe the tears off her face - even though she was the one who decapitated you."_

Shizuo curled his toes. Originals were frightening, and he only heard about 3. Even Shinra sounded frightening. Although offspring like Shizuo didn't regenerate, it was hard to hurt them. One kid had once tried to beat him up, and he couldn't even break Shizuo's leg as he stomped on it and threw a large rock at his knee cap. It stung, but it didn't break his leg. It hurt enough for him to cry, but most of the tears were brought on by the fact that someone had tried to break his leg for being an offspring.

Izaya groaned, fingers clawing at the ground. Instantly, the brunette rushed over and shook Izaya, who slapped his hand away and gasped awake.

Shizuo fell backwards, staring at Izaya's iris'.

Or lack there of.

Izaya's eyebrows narrowed before realizing what Shizuo was looking at. He slapped his hand over his eye, shoving the brunette away.

"What did you want? Why'd you wake me up?"

"What's..wrong," Shizuo shook his head. "Nevermind. You looked like you were upset. Having a nightmare. I don't know. It was just an instinct."

"To make sure I don't have a bad dream? What a braindead brute you are."

Shizuo rolled his eyes, sighing before plopping back down on the ground.

"I can't sleep."

"Now I can't either, Shizu. And I'm hungry. Unwrap some of our food."

The brunette rolled over, taking some beef from the ripped off jacket sleeve. He tossed it at Izaya, who bit into eagerly. The raven got up and stretched, letting an audible 'pop' come from his back.

"I'm going to guess it's 6 in the morning considering the sky doesn't look too dark. Neither of us are going to sleep now, so let's start walking."

Shizuo grabbed the backpack, hopping up and following behind the raven.

_

"Where are we going?"

"Ask me that, again, and I'll just leave you here."

Shizuo scowled, rolling his eyes and kicking a rock.

"Well, are we just aimlessly walking or do we have an actual place to go?"

Izaya groaned, stopping his fast paced walk, making Shizuo sigh in relief. He was tired, anyway.

"We're visiting someone. The town is hidden off, so they made sure it was far off from any other village or town." He sped up, again.

"Who is it? Is it another Original? Is it a human? Who-"

Around Shizuo, the desert changed into a large forest, accompanied by the complete set of rain forest animal noises.

"Okay, okay. No more questions about it. I'm going to get lost in this."

Shizuo groaned, punching at a tree, expecting his hand to go right through it. Sadly, his knuckles hit a hard trunk, and he yelped, shaking his hand.

"That hurt, eh? I thought you were big-n'-strong."

Shizuo growled, looking around for Izaya. He spotted him, leaning on a tree and smiling.

In reality, the yelp was more of surprise than pain, but he was too impatient to explain this. Instead, he walked up to the smaller man and lifted him to his face.

"Listen here, flea. I'm hungry and tired, and I just wanted to know what I'm in for."

Izaya laughed, watching Shizuo gape as the forest disintegrated back into the desert. The brunette dropped Izaya and waited for him to get back up so they could continue on their way.

_

Shizuo did not expect for the raven to be greeted by being punched in the face, but he still couldn't help but laugh when the Original flew across the room.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone, Izaya?"

"What, an old friend can't visit?"

"We're not friends, asshole."

Shizuo watched the two go at it and couldn't help but be amused that Izaya wasn't admired by _everyone_ like he had imagined. The blond kid looked pretty annoyed that Izaya had stepped foot past the wall that hid off their underground village. The place was filled with women who all seemed invested in actively ignoring the kid Izaya had called "Bakyura." The kid didn't seem to pleased to be called such, but he didn't correct the raven.

"Uh, Bakyura," Shizuo interrupted, watching Izaya's grin become much wider and Bakyura's face get much more irritated looking.

"My name is Kida. What do you want?"

Shizuo's eyebrow twitched. He sure was getting tired of all the pretentious comments addressed at him.

Kida seemed to take notice and lifted his hands up in the air before smiling.

"Sorry, sorry. This scumbag always put me in a bad mood," he stuck his thumb towards Izaya. The raven's grin slightly twitched, much to Shizuo's amusement. "What can I help you with, my man? Food? Bathroom? Hookups?" He called out to a nearby girl, who simply gagged at him and continued on. "She's just playing. She'd be totally heart broken if I suggested she date you instead, but I'm a pl-"

"Actually, a bathroom would be perfect. I really have to go."

Izaya smiled, poking his head between them. "Perfect. Give me more time to speak with my favorite Bak-yu-ra.~"

Kida shoved the man's face away before calling out for someone to escort Shizuo to restroom. The blond thanked him and followed the girl.

As soon as Shizuo was out of ear shot, the raven's face turned much more grave.

"Do you have a private place?"

"What about your friend?"

"I'll find him later. I need a favor."

Kida sighed, adjusting his scarf.

_

"You know I haven't talked to them in ages, right?" Kida sipped his tea, eying the higher ranking Original with aloofness. Izaya adjusted his ring, smiling to himself.

"Do you not have contact with either of them?"

"No. Saki and I ran off. The only person who still has contact with either Mikado or Anri is Shinra, and he'd still have to go through Celty just to be able to talk to someone that works under them."

Izaya sighed, knocking a chess piece over and mumbling 'checkmate,' causing Kida to groan. He set the pieces back up and signaled towards to board to gesture a rematch offer. Izaya moved his piece.

"Then let me talk to Shinra."

"Izaya..." Kida moved a piece as well, putting his cup down. "I want you to listen to me very closely. No one is pleased that you are here. Most of them hate you, and I'm one of them. You abandoned us when we needed you. We have to send off one of the strongest people we have to go out and talk to _them_ just to survive. And we still have to do God awful things to avoid getting ratted out. Thank God for dirty cops, but they aren't the most secure people to rely on."

Izaya stared at his untouched cup and smirked.

"I was kicked out, since you can't recall correctly." He moved another piece.

Kida stood, knocking his drink over onto the board. His fists clenched up, and he seemed much more agitated than before.

"You did that to yourself. Hiding behind your damn berzerk is a one way trip to being alone. We take plenty of precautions to avoid _that_ ever happening again, but you coming back here is just reminding us all why we have to live this way in the first place."

"Is everyone calling it berzerk but me?"

"If you didn't have that damn mental breakdown, you'd know what it's called." Kida sighed, brushing his hair back. "Look, Izaya, if what you were asking wasn't so risky for the rest of us, I'd have no problem trying to help you this one time. But taking out the Core? The elites amongst elites of officers? That's a suicide mission. They have Anri and Mikado, Izaya, and you can't take out Anri. And I wouldn't let you do it, anyway."

"If they don't cooperate, I'd have no choice. And if you tried to stop me, I'd have to take you down, too."

Kida looked over, knowing full well Izaya could do it, too. When he had lost control, he had nearly killed Saki to make a point. Well, no. To be fair to Izaya, _it_ had almost killed Saki. But Kida couldn't help but pin the blame on the raven. He had let it happen. He was beginning to have a migraine.

"I just need you to contact Mikado, at the very least."

Kida bit his lip, looking out the window and tapping his foot.

"I can't do that, and you know it. But I can't leave, either, Izaya. We have so many offspring here. They'd be defenseless without Shinra, Saki, and I. We need to be here. We have to protect them."

Izaya leaned back, staring at the blond with eyes that made Kida feel weak and exposed.

"You know that's a lie, Kida. You know you can hide the town. You know _I_ can hide the town. If you help me, I help you."

Kida folded his arms.

"We haven't fought since the first break out. And, remember, the Originals here aren't _just_ us ranked. We have the other guys here, too. Remember? The people we released to protect and the ones you abandoned? Do you think they are just going to line up to help you?"

"Then let's get to training. I need to get Shizuo -"

"The big guy you brought along?"

"Yeah. I need to get him to be less...stupid, to put gently."

"Gently..."

"Kida," the raven put his hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled, "if we do this, we **can** win. We can take them down. We're stronger than them when we are prepared and ready for anything. We can get you your friends back, and I can leave you guys in peace. If we do this, we can actually live."

Kida leaned his head against the window, staring at the citizens of the city he, Izaya, Shinra, and Celty had built together for the Originals to be safe. He took his scarf off, rubbing at the 10 on his neck to remind him why he had built this city in the first place. Protect and grow stronger. Protect and grow stronger. He had the intentions of taking the Core down in the first place in order to save his friends. Finally, he nodded.

"I'll have to get word on where Shinra went. The town's grown since you left. It's more of a city if you haven't noticed."

"I have, but I didn't know if it was my bad memory or not. So you're in?"

Kida sighed and signaled for the raven to follow him. Finally, he reached a large, empty plot and stepped back, letting the blond get to work.

"We have this whole system," he mumbled, getting on his knees and placing his hands on the ground. "A lot of the offspring try to build things or have some kind of responsibility to feel useful." The ground rumbled underneath him. "But I usually have to go around and fix it. Give me some metal or something."

Izaya slipped off his ring and tossed towards Kida. The blond put his hand over the ring, and the metal melted under his hand. The metal expanded and burst upwards, forming into a small home.

Kida huffed, getting up and popping his back. He gestured towards the home, pouting.

"Best I could do. It's been awhile since I had to make something out of basically nothing."

"Still the master creator. It looks good. Where will Shizuo be a-"

The blond laughed, raising an eyebrow.

"In there with you, of course. I'm not going to go out of my way to please you."

Izaya puffed his cheeks, trying to ignore his annoyance with having to sleep with the restless kid.

_

Shizuo thanked Kida for the blanket, denying his offer for a 'real girl to act as a pillow.' He smiled, sitting on the couch Kida made just 'big enough for one.' Izaya tapped his foot impatiently, trying to convince Shizuo to let him sit down.

"Pop up your own couch."

"It's not the same," the raven cried, pulling at the boy's shirt in an attempt to get him out of the chair. Instead, his feet slipped from under him, and he fell over.

Shizuo smirked at him, staring down at the man.

"You can have the couch when I go to bed."

Izaya's mouth fell open, shaking his head.

"Kida made one bed, for me. ME, Shizu. You sleep on the couch, understood?"

_

"Stop hogging the blanket."

"You stop hogging the blanket, you stupid flea. I'm cold."

Izaya rubbed his face, trying to ignore the fact that the brute was basically pushing him off the bed with his leg. The couch was way to uncomfortable for the brunette's back, apparently, and he had crawled into the bed and pushed Izaya out.

 _"I'm sleeping in here now, flea. You can have the couch."_

Izaya swallowed his pride and shut his eyes, trying to sleep. He had a long day tomorrow, and Shizuo did, too. He just didn't know it, yet.

_

 **HI. This took forever, omg. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'm very, very sorry I promised two a day and not doing so the last two updates. The semester is almost over, so all the work is getting piled on top of me. BUT as soon as I stop having such a heavy work load, the story WILL have more chapters.**

 **Okay, okay. Hope you enjoyed! I'll see ya, tomorrow.**

 **(If you're worried about the summary, I didn't think there was anything triggering this chapter, but if I'm wrong, I'm very sorry. Please tell me, and I'll edit the update. :))**


	7. Chapter 6: Changes

**A/N: I lied. I got in the mood to write, again. Haha. Please enjoy! The next few chapters are going to introduce some characters, and I hope to start developing Shizaya in the next few (starting with this one.)**

 **Please enjoy!**

 **(I just finished writing it, and omg I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter so far? Idk. I've been writing for an hour+. Like.. non stop writing. I'm sorry if it's too long. LOL. I just got excited during writing it, and I couldn't stop writing? ENJOY.)**

 **(The only warning I have is broken bone warning. But uh. I think I'm going to stop doing chapter summaries. I'm just going to put a (!) on the paragraph that the warning happens and (!) after thing is over. I only did it twice, I know? But I dunno. I forget to do them, and then I feel bad, but then I don't go back and put it in, and I'm sorry.)**

_

"What in the Hell do you mean punch the wall?"

Izaya rubbed at his temples, trying to explain the situation to Shizuo in a simpler way. He clicked his tongue as Shizuo rattled on about how stupid it would be to just beat the wall as hard as he could.

"-and then my knuckl-"

"Shizu. Listen. Do you think I can make you drown in non-existent water just by thinking it?"

"I thought that was the point."

Izaya sighed, clenching his fist.

"Your ability is your strength, which means it is stronger than my," he motioned his fingers in air quotes, "natural strength, right?"

Shizuo's eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded his head as a signal that he followed thus far. Izaya nodded back, putting his fist up to the wall. He breathed in, puffed his cheeks and breathed out. He was nervous, as he hadn't done something like this in years, but he couldn't carry Shizuo around if he was going to be dead weight. Closing his eyes and shoving his fist back, he tightened his body up and shot his eyes open, punching the wall in front of them as hard as possible.

Shizuo stared at the wall, unimpressed for half a second before the wall collapsed. He watched as Izaya blew on his knuckles, waving his hand around in slight pain before he saw the injury around his knuckles fade behind rapidly grown new skin. Izaya rubbed his eyebrow, looking back up at Shizuo.

"See that? You can't do that right now, can you?"

The brunette shook his head.

"It takes practice, Shizu. I didn't become 2 just by wishing for it. I had to make sure I could fight. Make sure I wouldn't die," he huffed, calling for Kida. The blond hopped up, putting his hands over the fallen bricks. The bricks shaped back up into a wall, curved inwardly. Izaya tapped Kida's shoulder.

"Softer material."

Kida growled at the raven, mumbling, "Softer material. Softer material. Aren't I just the big boss around here? Eh? Eh? Eh?" in a mocking tone. Izaya rolled his eyes and scowled as Shizuo laughed at the kid's impression, making Kida smirk to himself.

"Sounds just like you, eh? Eh?"

"Shut up, will you? I'm trying to help you."

Kida waved his hand to signal he was finished, admiring his work of makeshift mortar. Izaya smiled, grabbing Shizuo's hand.

"Clench your fist - no, put your thumb on your fingers. Never inside your palm. Good. Now, I want you to punch this wall as hard as possible. If it doesn't break, you aren't hitting hard enough."

"If I hit it as hard as I can, how is that not hard enough?"

Izaya bit the interior of his cheek before snapping his fingers.

"You're an idiot."

"What?" Shizuo clamped his teeth together, ready to punch the raven instead of the wall in front of him. Kida raised an eyebrow but walked away and sitting on one of the hills in the tunnel from deep underneath the upper city.

"I said you're an idiot. Are you such a brute, you can't understand words?"

"What is your problem all the sudden, you piece of shit? Want me to knock your damn teeth in?"

Izaya smiled, twirling his hand in the air before letting a blade slice out of his palm. He gripped it, slicing right through Shizuo's shirt and cutting him on the chest. Shizuo growled, swinging his fist towards the smaller man. Izaya jumped out of the way, hopping atop the wall as the brunette swung. The wall shattered under him, and Izaya swung again, hopping over the man's second punch. He began running towards Kida, with the angry brunette right behind him. Kida's eyes widened before he hopped up himself, swinging his arms around.

"Hey, don't bring that guy to m-"

"Build more walls! Now!" Izaya screamed, avoiding another punch from Shizuo, who shattered the metal left over bits around them. Kida smirked, having to give the raven some credit before throwing his ring into the air and clapping on it. A metal pole shot down from his hand, and he gripped the sides, watching them expand until it was a large metal wall. He jumped out of the way just win Izaya hopped over it; the brunette angrily crashed right through it, trying to grab at the raven.

Kida ran to the other side, grabbing a brick from the previous wall. He stomped on the side of it and grabbed his earring off. He inwardly apologized to Saki, who made the effort of finding a real diamond to replace his old earring that he had lost. As the brick became a large wall, Kida decided he should practice as well.

He closed his eyes and focused on a wall made of the diamond he was holding and breathed in. He'd done it before, but he was hoping he could transform an item into something without touching it like he'd done that one single time. He pursed his lips, tossing the earring into the air. He opened his eyes, snapping and focusing all the energy he had into creating the wall.

The earring expanded, bursting into a much larger wall than the others. He smiled to himself, wishing Saki was there to see it. Instead, he jumped towards Izaya, pointing excitedly to the wall. Izaya didn't seem to acknowledge his creation as he tripped on the brick wall and looked behind him with worry, avoiding another angry punch from the brunette behind him. At the last second, Izaya gripped Kida's head, flipping over him and running towards his diamond wall. Kida fell over, groaning as he hit the wall. Shizuo didn't seem to notice him, either, as he stepped on Kida's chest. The blond whimpered under him, squirming awkwardly as he heard his rib snap.

He wheezed for a second and groaned inwardly, gripping the top back of his head and trying to hurriedly creating blockage of the parietal lobe so pain wouldn't shoot down to his rib. He sighed to himself as the pain stopped, getting up. He already felt his rib healing, but he knew he would have to wait out the unblocking for another ten minutes or so and walked back towards the steps. He had exhausted all his energy for th-

He watched as Shizuo rammed into the diamond wall and fell over. Izaya stopped running and turned back around, watching the brunette hold onto shoulder, crying out curses.

"This is your damn fault, you flea. This hurts, oh, oh my God. I hate you. Fuck you! I'm going to kick your ass! I'm going to knock your teeth in!"

Izaya bent down next to him as Kida approached.

"What happened?"

"The diamond wall was a nice touch. Just imagine when he's at his full potential. That wall will, at least, have a hole broken into it."

"Oi. Did you hear me? What happened?" Kida bent down, moving Shizuo's hand out of the way. He made a face of disgust as he saw exactly what happened.

"Izaya, this isn't good. He doesn't heal like we do."

Izaya bit his lip.

 **(!)**

"It's not my fault he tried to break that wall down with his shoulder," Izaya poked at the bone that poked out beneath the skin. Shizuo yelped, punching Izaya with his other arm. Izaya cried out, holding his bleeding nose.

"That really hurt, Shizu. My nose is brok- Oh, not anymore. That still hurt, though."

Kida sighed, taking off his jacket and slapping his hands onto it. A gurney formed underneath his hands, and he signaled Izaya to lift Shizuo from his other side. The brunette kept screaming curses at the raven as the two carried him back to the city.

_

"Shinra!" Izaya cooed, kicking his legs when he saw his old friend, who smiled back warmly and waving.

The man looked at Shizuo, pouting his lower lip out at the sight of the poking bone. He touched his, raising an eyebrow when Shizuo made no indication of pain. Kida wiggled his fingers around.

 **(!)**

"Blocking the pain out."

Shinra nodded, sitting beside the brunette.

"Who are you? My name's Shinra. Pleased to meet you!" He grinned at the boy, who gaped at him before shooting his glance towards Izaya.

"Same one?"

Izaya nodded, causing the brunette to look at the man again. He was nothing like he imagined. This guy was in a funky white coat and had strangely unnatural looking eyes.

Kida explained quickly though as he smirked at Shizuo.

"Admiring my handiwork? Yeeeah, the good ol' doc here broke his glasses trying to impress his girlfriend. I fixed him up some nice looking contacts, though."

Shinra groaned, pinching his nose before smiling weakly.

"I'd much rather my glasses, however. Kida told me I have to try these out, though," shooting an oddly unsettling smile at the blond. "Anyway, there's a problem. Izaya, Kida, I need to talk to you."

The three walked into the back of the small building, and the doctor looked back at the brunette.

"His arm will heal, but... there's no guarantee it won't have...drawbacks."

"Drawbacks?"

"His arm might be completely useless. He'll have problems even lifting it above his head."

Izaya shot a cold glance at Kida, who seemed to be look completely shaken. Guilt washed over him.

"There's... one thing I can do..."

Kida looked thrilled, gripping at the doctor's shoulders.

"I didn't break him? You can fix it?"

The young doctor looked down, curling his toes underneath his shoes.

"I can... give him regeneration."

Izaya furrowed his eyebrows, leaning back on the wall.

"Is this some kind of unnecessary joke? I need this kid fixed, Shinra, and if you can't do it, I'll have to leave him behind."

Shinra shook his head, staring at the ground.

"Why don't you go do it, then? What's the hold up?"

Shinra breathed in, staring at Kida in an attempt to prolong Izaya figuring out exactly what that meant.

Izaya tapped his foot impatiently, twirling his hand in a circle to signal an elaboration. Shinra sighed, rubbing his elbow.

"I can control the voice in your head, right? Make it stronger? More riled up?"

"Yeah?"

"Izaya, c'mon.. Don't make me have to actually _say_ it."

Izaya pursed his lips, to frustrated to think and not just listen. He was beginning to have a migraine. Izaya recognized the strained looked and shook his head at Shinra, telling him to go ahead and just say it. Kida already figured it out, patting the doctor's back and walking out of the room. Hearing it in words would make him sick to his stomach. This was his fault. As he passed by Shizuo, his headache pierced his skull like a knife, causing him to twitch in pain. He rushed off, needing a nap with Saki before he passed out.

"Well, the voice... y'know... it's everyone, but I mean... It's just _there_ for us."

Izaya's eyes widened.

"That's not... You can't..."

Shinra pursed his lips.

"I can give him the power of the Originals, Izaya. But... He'll have all the downfalls... He can't get angry, Izaya."

The raven slammed his head back on the wall, staring at the ceiling.

"I can't watch that, Shinra. I can't do it. I remember what happened when I..." his voice trailed off. Shinra nodded.

"I can take care of myself if anything happens. I can calm it down, too... But if...if he... I can't calm it down, then. If that happens, you're going to have to figure something out. He's not my responsibility to put down."

Izaya looked over at Shizuo, his eyes softening.

If Shizuo were to be left with his bum arm, he'd feel useless. Izaya could already read that kid like a book. He wanted to be something. He wanted to prove himself. But...

Izaya walked towards Shizuo, sitting down on the chair.

God, his head hurt.

"Oi, flea. Stop looking at me like that. You did this to me on purpose. Now I'll have a damn broken arm from months. How am I going to be helpful, then, huh, flea? Stupid fucking flea."

Izaya laughed weakly, causing the brunette to look over with concern.

"Oi, flea. I mean... Izaya. What's up with you? Say some-" He noticed the same look on Shinra's face, making him squirm.

"You won't have a broken arm, Shizuo."

His full name on Izaya's lips caused him to gulp, his face turning red. It soothed him, but the looks made him feel uncomfortable. His eyes widened.

"D-Don't kill me, you dumb flea! I'll be fin-"

"We aren't going to kill you," the doctor sighed. He looked over at Izaya, who nodded and walked out, avoiding eye contact with the panicked brunette. Shizuo twitched uncomfortably on the bed, staring at Shinra in horror.

"I need you to please stay calm, Shizuo. That is the most important thing you can do right now? Understand? Stay. calm."

_

Shizuo looked around in the pitch blackness he was now in. He walked forward, jumping at the sound of the echo of his step fill the emptiness. He stopped, shouting out for someone.

 _My, my. You seem to have no stayed very calm._

Shizuo turned around, falling back when he saw himself - in a way that haunted him.

The Shizuo smiling back at him looked dangerous, eyes glazed over with something menacing. The Shizuo in front twirled his finger around his white hair, lips gripping on a cigarette with a large, crooked smile.

Shizuo clenched his fist, clenching his teeth, tightening his bac-

His shoulder.

It wasn't broken.

He grabbed at it, surprise washing over him.

 _I did that to you, you know?_

"What did you do? Fix m- Who are you? Where am I?" Shizuo shouted at the suspicious twin, stepping back with every step forward the Shizuo in front of him took.

 _I'm you, you know?_

Shizuo's eyes snapped to the side, the twin much closer, breathing on his neck as he spoke. Smoke puffed toward the brunette, causing him to cough.

 _Well, I'm about to be. You just couldn't stop panicking._ It laughed, staring up at a light Shizuo hadn't noticed before.

Shizuo had to calm down. He couldn't think with this pain in his head. When did his head start hurting so bad? When did his heart start racing? Why was he so afraid?

 _Is it a natural instinct to calm down?_ The twin stopped smiling and pouted, his voice getting farther and farther.

 _It's okay, though. I'm sure I'll see yo-_

_

Shizuo gasped, shooting up. Izaya stared back at him, worry in his eyes. He felt the raven's hands brush into his hair, staring at him.

"Well, that's interesting," Shinra mumbled from the other side of the room. Shizuo looked down where his head had just been, eyes widening when he saw brown strands of hair covering his pillow.

Izaya smiled, admiring the boy.

"Well, I'll be damned. Blond looks good on you, Shizu."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow, staring around. Kida got the memo and grabbed at the cup Shinra was drinking out of, ignoring the doctor's protest. Shizuo watched as Kida turned the cup into a mirror, grabbing it as soon as possible.

He stared back at himself, shock replacing his confusion. His hair was blond. He twir-

He felt nauseous and noticed he was kicking his foot, along with having a cold chill run up his spine. His began licking his lips, feeling like was missing something. He really _craved_ something, but he didn't know _what._

He was also getting a tad irate.

Izaya looked over at the doctor.

"I don't think it's all too surprising. He was in there for awhile. And when I went berzerk, I didn't even look like myself."

"I don't give a damn about my hair color. I need... I need.." Shizuo was getting annoyed at not knowing _what_ he needed. But he needed it. And fast.

"What?" Izaya furrowed his eyebrows before shaking his head. "Never mind that. Calm down. Don't get angry."

Too late for that. Shizuo was pissed. He _NEEDED_ whatever he needed.

He looked out the window and immediately tried to stop his body from pushing Izaya out of the way and slamming out the door. He stared down at the poor guy he had noticed from in the building, the man trembling under him.

"I... Can I-"

"Give me that."

"Th-this?" The man whimpered, trying to hide it behind his back. Shizuo was having _none_ of that, though, as he scowled at the man. The man yielded, shoving his cigarette towards Shizuo.

Izaya watched in surprise as the newly-blond boy inhaled as hard as possible on the cigarette, sighing in relief as soon as he got what he had needed so badly. He felt a calmness wash over him.

Fuck.

He was smoking.

He looked over at Izaya desperately, and the three Originals sighed, walking towards him.

"Was it smoking?"

"It?" Shizuo muttered, not letting the cigarette out of his mouth for a second.

"Ah...You. Were 'you' smoking?"

Shizuo realized what he was talking about, and he suddenly realized what _it_ was. He snapped his head towards Shinra, throwing his cigarette down.

"What in the Hell did you do to me? Wha-" Shizuo cried out in pain. His head hurt so bad. He gripped at his head, falling to his knees.

"What in the Hell is happening to me? Fuck, it hurts. It hurts. It really hurts."

Izaya's eyes softened, bending down to be eye level with the confused boy.

"Things are going to be really different now, Shizuo. And I need you to listen to me. You can't get angry like that. Not anymore. You have to stop."

 _We can work together, Shizuo. He doesn't know it. He doesn't know what we'll be like together. He's just trying to control you._

Shizuo yelped, the grip on his head getting tighter.

"Make it stop. Make it shut up. It's talking to me. It hurts, Izaya. Please. I don-"

"This was a bad idea, Izaya."

Shinra bit his lip, moving his hands over Shizuo's. The blond's shoulders relaxed as the headache melted away, and the voice stopped.

The raven stood up, looking at Kida, who looked guilty again. The raven's mouth slanted, realizing that telling Shizuo to calm down wasn't going to do it.

_

The two sat in the house in silence. Shinra and Kida realized Shizuo and Izaya needed to be alone, considering they were much closer than the rest of them. Shizuo stared down at the ground.

"I'm...an Original now?"

"More or less," Izaya sighed, watching as Shizuo continuously cut his arm with broken glass only for the skin to immediately heal.

"And the voice in my head?"

"That's the berzerk."

Shizuo played with the glass in between his fingers, humming to himself. He felt a strange calmness, even though he knew he should feel something completely different. He should be panicked. Worried. Frightened. Instead, he felt content.

"And if I get angry or sad-"

"You'll be back in the blackness, yes."

Shizuo nodded, staring the the glass again.

"Do I have a second ability?"

Izaya leaned back, examining the boy. He expected the blond to have already gone berzerk, or, at the very least, passed out from a headache. Instead, Shizuo stared at the ground with a calm look. It worried the raven slightly, who was also annoyed he couldn't predict the boy as easily as he thought he could.

"I don't know, yet. Do you feel an urge of some kind?"

Shizuo shook his head but then furrowed his eyebrows.

"I...actually... Don't feel anything," he mumbled, staring at the glass. "Is that from Shinra?"

Izaya shook his head.

"He calms the berzerk. Not you."

Shizuo nodded.

"Then, no. I don't feel anything. The closest to an 'urge' I have is to smoke," Shizuo muttered, scratching his wrist.

There was something else, though. He kept himself quiet, though, as he remembered what had happened to Izaya back at his village.

 _Just tell him, Shi-zu._

Izaya slapped his knees, getting up.

"I'm going out. Today has been stressful. Want to come?"

Shizuo shook his head.

"I think I'm just going to lay down. I kind of need to process all this."

Izaya nodded and began walking towards the door. Before he walked out, however, he looked back.

"Shizu."

"Yeah, flea?"

He smiled.

"Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

_

Shizuo stared at himself in the mirror.

 _Do it. Trust me, Shizuo. Trust me._

Shizuo knew he shouldn't. He was fully aware of this, but the urge Izaya was talking about... Was this it? Should he act on it?

Shizuo sat down, nodding to himself.

"What are you going to do?"

 _What are_ _ **we**_ _going to do, you mean. I can't explain it, Shizuo. Trust me. Trust me! TRUST ME. TRUS-_

Shizuo gripped at his head. The more agitated the voice got, the more it hurt. He tried to calm it down.

"Well, what do I do?"

 _Get angry, Shizuo. Get angry. What are you angry about, Shizuo?_

Shizuo bit lip, leaning back and looking at the door.

"I'm angry that you're in my head. I'm angry that Izaya did this to me without even asking me."

 _What else, Shizuo? C'mon, get pissed!_

"I'm angry I'm here. I'm angry that I'm not at home. I'm angry that my brother's dead. I'm angry that I can't live peacefully. I'm angry at the people who keep us here. I'm angry that I have powers. I'm angry that I'm treated different."

He was getting agitated.

"I'm angry that I have damn headaches. I'm angry that I'm a freak. I'm angry that I get talked to like an idiot around Izaya and his friends."

His head hurt. God, did it hurt.

But suddenly, it didn't.

Shizuo looked back up in the mirror, and his eyes widened.

Half of his hair was brown, half of it was blond. One eye was his usual mocha. The other...was pure white. Just like Izaya's was...

Shizuo stood, putting his hand on the mirror. It crushed under his hand as he barely put pressure on it. He took his hand away, backing away from his broken reflection.

"What's going on?"

 _I told, Shizuo. We can work together. I can make you stronger. You can get angry. You can feel however you want. And I'll come help you._

Gloves formed on Shizuo's hands, and he stared at them in horror.

 _Don't worry, Shizuo. We're stronger than Izaya like this. We can crush him._

"What are you talking about? I do-"

 _You do know if they see you like this, they'll kill you, right? But they can't! We're stronger than them! We can crush them all!_

Shizuo shook his head.

"I don't want to."

 _WE CAN CRUSH THEM. WE CAN CRUSH THEM. WE CAN CRUSH THEM._

"I DON'T WANT TO," Shizuo screamed out into the empty home. The voice quieted down, but he felt something menacing. He could've sworn he _heard_ the voice smirk.

 _Shizuo, don't be silly. We aren't going to actually crush them. We can, but we won't._

"Is...is this my second ability? Merging with you?"

It laughed, and Shizuo sat down, trying to calm himself down.

 _You don't like violence, do you, Shi~zu~o?_

The boy shook his head.

 _No one_ _ **really**_ _likes violence, Shizuo. We can calm them down, y'know?_

"The berzerks? Like Shinra?"

 _No, no. Listen, Shizuo. Do you miss Ka-su-ka?~_

Shizuo tensed up.

 _Everyone loves someone, Shizuo. Wouldn't it be nice if they saw them?_

Shizuo side eyed nothing in particular, but his eyes narrowed. He was listening now.

 _Imagine if Kida were to fight you, Shizuo. You could make him see Saki. He wouldn't fight her, now would he?_

Shizuo pursed his lips, remembering Kida had mentioned his girlfriend.

"I couldn't do that if I've never seen them, so you're full of shit."

It laughed, again.

 _How about you try it on Izaya when he gets home, Shizuo? Let him walk in, and the next time he blinks from the moment he sees you, you'll see. We can work together, Shizuo. But don't tell anyone about you merging with me. That'll get you killed. No one likes_ _ **my kind.**_

"Why can I do that, and none of them can?"

Shizuo was suspicious. He didn't believe a thing _it_ said, but he was looking at the shattered remains of the proof. He had heard Izaya. You lose control if you go berzerk, if you are emotional.

 _"When I went berzerk, Shizu," Izaya muttered quietly, "I wasn't myself. That's why... Kida isn't a fan of mine. I didn't have control. I couldn't talk, I couldn't move. It was controlling me. I was like that for years, and I couldn't get out. It gets harder to get control the longer your stuck in your head, but I did it. I got my mind back, and I can't go back, Shizuo. You can't go berzerk. There are some people who can never get their minds back. If you get angry, if you let it have control, I don't know if I can save you."_

Shizuo was in control, though. He had full control over his body and thoughts. The only difference was that he was much, _much_ stronger. He could feel that. He had already seen it - crushing a mirror by barely having his palm on the glass.

He closed his eyes.

 _Just you wait. Just think like you want to be who he's thinking about. The people we love, Shizuo, we always have in the back of our minds. So just think to yourself, be the person he loves. You can do it. You'll have access to his memories, too. Trust me, Shizuo._

And he did.

_

Izaya unlocked the door, excited to share his ice cream with Shizuo. Well, technically, it was Shizuo's ice cream from Kida, -as an apology- but the blond didn't have to know that. He smiled, swinging the bag with the tub of ice cream in the air and jumped inside.

"I'm ho-"

His eyes widened, and the ice cream fell to the floor.

_

 **OMG. THAT LOOKS SO LONG SO FAR. IDEK LIKE I SAID I WRITE IN THE COPY-N-PASTE, BUT IT LOOKS SO LONG, AND I'M ACTUALLY PRETTY HAPPY WITH HOW THIS STORY WAS GOING, AND THEN I KEPT WRITING, AND I WAS LIKE,**

 **"OMG WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT ? THE PLOT TWISTS!" EVEN THOUGH I WAS WRITING IT? IDK? I JUST GOT EXCITED, AND I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED IT BC OMG I GOT EXCITED WRITING IT.**

 **Okay, okay. See you guys, tomorrow!**


	8. Chapter 7: Revenge

Shizuo eyed Izaya from across the silent room, and he rubbed his thumbs on his cup. The raven hadn't looked him in the eye for months, which was only made more awkward when they trained. Shizuo had learned to control his strength and memory manipulation. Along with being able to imitate the appearance of someone from another's memory, he was able to alter memories. He had practiced on a few people, mostly elderly people who were dying. He changed their sad memories to happy ones, and he felt satisfaction when he watched them smile and die peacefully. Even still, however, he would watch Izaya get up and leave every time he did so, not congratulating him on his improvement like he would during strength training.

The two had somehow gotten closer, but the distance was still great. Words were kept simple and point blank to avoid long conversations. Even worse, Izaya had started an underground business that Shizuo knew nothing about other than its existence. He felt like the longer the two's eyes strayed apart, the more their lives would separate. Deep in his bones, Shizuo was frightened that the raven would stop interacting with him all together.

He had been haunted by nightmares of the raven's memories, and the more they flooded in, the more he felt nothing but guilt for listening to the voice in his head. He would see things in every day life that connected to his memories, and he wondered if Izaya saw it, too. The girl he watched fall over the other day: did Izaya see a glimpse of his past?

He wanted to say something, but he couldn't work up the courage to make the raven listen. He didn't deserve a moment of forgiveness, but he craved it.

He was also selfish. Over the months, he became sickeningly dependent on the raven, to the point where his day was not complete unless Izaya made an annoying insult. He watched his face twitch at night, and Shizuo knew it was from his past. All he wanted was to comfort him. He wanted to hold him and tell him it was okay, but what would that do? It would simply remind Izaya that Shizuo bore inside of his head to accidentally hurt him.

He watched the raven cook, watching his shirt lift when he reached for a plate or seasoning. He pursed his lips when Izaya dipped his finger in the food and licked it off to taste it. Shinra had told him hormones were back and forth - especially during the first few months of adjustment. But this was ridiculous considering he and Izaya couldn't even be considered friends anymore.

He closed his eyes, trying to motivate himself to speak up. To make amends.

 _Shizuo watched as the bag fell, immediately realizing his mistake as the memories flooded in. He stood, his long, black hair falling to the ground and disappearing until it was blond again. His wide hips shrunk, and his chest flattened. He felt the illusion of the clothes slowly vanish to display his usual outfit, but, even being back in his normal body, he knew he would not be able to bring comfort to the horrified raven._

 _He had put him to bed, and Shizuo sat in the chair, rubbing his temples to try and get the memories out._

 _He saw a young Izaya, scared and frightened, being comforted by a young, emotionless girl. She asked him something, and Izaya smiled. This girl was the one who's body he mimicked, and he felt sick as he realized who she was._

 _He saw a teenage Izaya with messy hair and a blank face, punching a wall until his knuckles bled. He watched the girl grab around his waste and whisper something in his ear. He rolled his eyes and smiled, continuing to punch the wall._

 _He watched Izaya grab the girl's hand and run out of a large building, thousands following behind them._

 _He watched as Izaya stood in front of the girl, staring at soldiers behind guns with a look of protection covering any fear he may have felt._

 _He saw the back of Izaya, and in front of him, Shizuo guessed it was the girl. All he saw was legs and a blood puddle growing beneath the raven's feet._

 _He saw as Izaya turned around, eyes blank and empty, face cold and emotionless. The only sound he heard, for the first time in the memories, was a faint whimper from the raven himself. 'I'm sorry, Namie.'_

 _He watched as Izaya's eyes were painted white and his hair gained a reddish hue. He watched as a smile grew on his face, and the brand on his cheek become more than a scar. It ran red and seemed to pulsate. He watched as Izaya began laughing, holding his face to contain himself. He watched as the body twitched, and Shizuo imagined Izaya was trying to calm himself._

 _He saw the bodies of thousands, littering the ground underneath Izaya. He watched as Shinra and Kida and others stood behind him. He watched as Kida grabbed at a gun and transformed it into a cannon. He watched them shout something, a look of struggle painted on their faces. He watched as Izaya turned around and walk away. He saw Izaya leave the very village he saved._

 _He watched Izaya's unrecognizable body slaughter again and again. He watched as he fought with himself in private._

 _He saw Izaya slide down a wall, the white melting away from his eyes. The raven gasped, putting his hands in the air to make sure it was really him._

 _He saw Izaya still fighting._

 _Still fighting._

 _He kept fighting._

 _Izaya flicked a lighter, and there was Shizuo._

Shizuo sighed. The memories gave him a headache, but he knew he just couldn't sit there and let it fester. Sure, he tried apologizing, but Izaya refused to listen.

He had to make him listen. He finally breathed in, and he stood.

"Izaya."

The raven didn't say anything, but he made a small, "Hmm?" behind his closed mouth. Shizuo watched as Izaya instinctively look as far away from Shizuo as possible.

"I want to talk... abo-"

"I don't." Izaya continued stirring his dinner, eyes hard fixed on the contents.

"Izaya, I can't keep sitting in silence."

"We talk."

"It's not the same. You can't even look at me." Shizuo was close to pleading now. He wanted Izaya to know he never meant to hurt him. He needed Izaya to know that.

"That must be tough."

Shizuo could't help it. He grabbed Izaya, slamming him into a wall behind them. The raven yelped, wincing at the impact. It hurt, a lot, but he shut his eyes tight and only opened them when he was able to control his eyes to stay fixed on the floor.

"Izaya, please. I didn-"

"I know you didn't mean to do anything, Shizuo. Just leave it alone."

Shizuo frowned, squeezing the raven's wrists even harder. The Original cried out, eyebrows furrowing. He scowled, shooting his blades from his wrists and watching them poke out of the blond's hands.

Shizuo looked down at them before lifting Izaya up the wall, ignoring the sting of his skin being continuously pierced. Izaya's eyes met Shizuo's for a second, and he quickly looked away. Not before, however, Shizuo watched Izaya's eyes widen and soften.

"I'm sorry, Izaya. I just...wanted to know what I could do."

"So did she." The raven spat, eyes finally locking onto the mocha ones. Shizuo's eyes widened, as it was the first time Izaya mentioned her.

"She just wanted to know if she could win. If she could be like us. If she could be just as strong. But she couldn't, Shizuo. She couldn't... do it. Because her brother..." He looked away. "He was the soldier in charge. Blood before blood was the creed for soliders like that. Human blood shouldn't be spilled because of the life of one mutant freak - no matter who that freak is. She couldn't kill him, Shizu. And he could kill her."

Shizuo sighed, letting the raven down. He slid down next to him. Izaya groaned, laughing to himself.

"I don't miss her anymore. Shizu, it was 100 years ago. It feels like it, anyway. I haven't been sad for a long time. Seeing her, though... It reminded me that I am mortal. I don't want to die, y'know." Izaya smiled, looking over at Shizuo. "Looking you in the eyes was hard because... you aren't human anymore."

Shizuo's eyebrows furrowed, staring back at him in confusion.

"You aren't... You," he tried to collect his thoughts, "None of us had a choice, and neither did you. They would probably let you guys back home, with survelliance. Us? No. We'd be left here to live an eternity of this because we aren't as human. And you aren't, either. It just reminds me that we are all as disposable and... Replaceable."

"You aren't replaceable, Izaya."

Shizuo inwardly smacked himself for sounding so lame, but Izaya laughed.

"Is that an attempt to make me feel more human, Shizu?"

Shizuo didn't realize how much he really longed for Izaya's voice until their conversation lasted longer than he imagined. He felt relief, relaxed that Izaya wasn't angry or sad. He was having an existential crisis, sure, but he was, at least, not planning to berzerk.

He looked over Izaya and smiled.

The two lied in bed, Izaya staring at the wall, and Shizuo staring at the ceiling. Finally, the raven broke the tired silence.

"Why did you want me to forgive you so bad, anyway? It's not like it matters what I think. If you didn't feel comfortable, you could have gone back home."

Shizuo sat up, sighing.

"I couldn't go back home now, Izaya. First of all, you stole half of the food supply-"

"You would have starved, idiot."

"You ate most of i- Ah, nevermind that. Secondly, I do care what you think, Izaya. I didn't like you being mad at me."

Izaya turned over, staring up at the blond.

"I wasn't mad at you, moron."

"Stop insulting me, you damn flea."

"Anyway-"

"Don't blow me off, flea."

"I just didn't know how to explain it without you losing all respect for the big, bad 2."

Shizuo sighed, shaking his head.

"You aren't 2, Izaya. And I don't have any respect for you, anyway. You're a total asshole. But I do think you're a person I don't want to lose, in a weird way. I feel like I've developed more because of you, and what would happen if the reason I'm growing as a person and as an offspring just disappeared?"

Izaya smiled, waving his hand dismissively.

Shizuo pursed his lips and grabbed at the waving hand. He gulped before pulling Izaya in and kissing him.

The raven didn't have time to think or react before Shizuo pulled away, letting go of the hand.

"I...I'm sorry. I just... We were talking, and you-"

Izaya pushed the blond on his back and crawled over him, smiling as his knees held him up from either side of Shizuo on the bed. The blond gulped as Izaya smirked.

"I don't think you're replaceable, either."

He kissed Shizuo, letting his tongue convince Shizuo to join him. The blond obliged, running his hand up the curve of Izaya's back. The raven backed away, kissing the blond's jawline as Shizuo's fingers dragged on the pale flesh slowly, memorizing each bump of his spine.

"Izaya..."

"Hm?"

Shizuo sat up, causing Izaya to quickly wrap his arms around Shizuo's neck to prevent from falling.

"I'm glad you're looking at me, again."

Izaya huffed, crawling off of Shizuo and sitting next to him.

"Being corny is a turn-off, Shizu, but I'm glad, too. You aren't the ugliest person I know."

Shizuo scoffed, turning around.

The raven smirked. Watching Shizuo squirm in his seat for months, desperate for his attention really was fun, but, after awhile, it stopped being fun. It had emerged as revenge for having the audacity to prod in his thoughts.

 _"Shinra, what's wrong?"_

 _The doctor sighed, patting Celty's hand and smiling weakly. The woman signed back at Izaya to respond for him. "You know how interacting with the berzerks wears him out." Izaya nodded, sipping on his drink. Shinra, however, shook his head._

 _"It's not that. There's something about Shizuo," he groaned, rubbing his temples. "The voice... It was calm. When we get angry, the voice gets angrier, egging us on. His... voice was calm. It wasn't shouting at him. It wasn't telling him to get mad. It was just...talking. Telling him to see what I really thought of him. 'Poke into his brain,' or something."_

 _Celty sat down, signing, "Haven't you done that before? Give someone the ability of the Originals?"_

 _Shinra nodded. "That's the thing, though. Most of them either went berzerk on spot or wouldn't be able to cope like we had to. All of us had to cope, become emotionless and empty to be able to survive. It wouldn't work for an offspring, considering they don't have to kill people they come to know after years."_

 _Celty frowned, looking at Izaya._

 _"So what does this mean, Shinra? I don't get it."_

 _Shinra closed his eyes and opened his mouth, but Kida slammed down his cup and spoke for the first time that night._

 _"Anri's voice was like that. Look what happened to her. They coexist until it takes over and morphs them into someone different. Just like Anri is now a sadistic killer working for the Core, Shizuo is going to end up just like that if we aren't careful."_

 _Shinra nodded._

 _"He needs to be watched, Izaya. Don't let him interact with his voice. Don't let him push himself too hard."_

Izaya sighed, chewing on his cheeks. Keep him close, keep him happy.

He had to distance himself emotionally from Shizuo to be able to kill him when the time came. Shizuo just couldn't know about it.

_

 **I'M SO SORRY, GUYS. I have been sooooooooo busy, but I hope you enjoy this chapter. I didn't know exactly how to include Celty in this story besides for making her mute. So boom! She's mute, and I'll talk about Izaya teaching Shinra and Kida sign language to be able to talk to her. BUT YES. I love all the positive reviews I'm getting. I'm gonna cry. You guys are so nice.**

 **Please enjoy this chapter!**


	9. Chapter 8: White

**A/N: I. Am. So. Sorry. (●´⌓`●) I have had sooo much pop up recently, and it's been crazy trying to stack everything together. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. ;; I only have one more test due until I'm all done with this semester! Then I might be going out of state for a funeral for about a week, but I don't know if I'm going to, simply because Christmas is around the corner, and I need to save up all the money I can. BUT UNTIL THAT DAY COMES, I'm back to updating every (or every other) day, I promise! I hope you really like this chapter because I had a dream, and then I was like, "This would be perfect for this fic." ALSO. I really like an idea I saw in the reviews, and I'm putting that in this story. Eee.**

 **PS. There was a suggestion about a Q/A? If anyone else wants something like that, just say something in the reviews. No offense, reviewer, but if you are the only person suggesting it, I won't be doing it as only having 2-3 questions isn't very fun. ┐(´∇｀** **)┌**

 **Anywho! Enjoy this chapter!**

 **_**

 _The raven groaned, small bits of his hair sticking to his cheek as he opened his eyes. He looked around the room, trying to get up before realizing his hands were tied behind his back. Eyes widening, he realized his feet were tied together as well, in a rather uncomfortable position. His ankle bones rammed into each other, causing him to twitch his foot to force it into a position where the bones weren't scraping each other. He finally pushed himself up using his knees and head and looked around the room. He edged towards the wall, using his back to crawl up and on his feet. He hopped and slammed himself into a wall, screaming out._

 _"Where am I? What's going on?"_

 _The fresh burn on his cheek startled him, and he looked around, trying to find anything reflective to allow him to see why his cheek stung so horridly. That's when he realized he was in a room with nothing more than walls. No windows, no mirrors, no seats. Nothing. His socks were white, as well as his pants and long sleeved shirt that hugged his arms a little too tightly, not giving room for even a slight wrinkle. Even more, the walls matched him. Nothing but white aside from a toilet, but he noticed the water was so low, it was virtually empty. He looked around, pleading mentally for some kind of answer. He bit his lip as a sharp pain shot through his head._

 ** _What's wrong, Iza? Are you getting a little anxious? Come on, keep shouting, Iza! You're scared, aren't you? Are you scared?_**

 _The raven fell to the floor, wincing as the voice got louder and more heavy in his head. He wheezed, trying to calm down, but the sweat began beading from his forehead, and he was having trouble controlling himself. His eye began twitching._

 _Suddenly, a seemingly non-existent door in the room opened. Izaya looked up desperately._

 _Three men stood in front of him, one standing out. The man had to wear a hat for obvious reasons, as his red hair was too much for the pale room. He wore an eye patch, a cold smirk, and held a white cane under his hand. The other men, Izaya mentally named Big and Brawn, stood behind him with a bored scowl. Big had a white cup in his hand, and Brawn handled a tray with white rice and sunchoke and cauliflower soup. Of course, Izaya noted, without anything other than the white soup in a white bowl._

 _The smirking man bent down near Izaya, tipping his white captain's hat and opened his jacket to reveal white paint. Izaya stared at him, confusion prodding the back of his head, but he kept a deadpan face._

 _"Izaya, right? I don't have a name. Don't need one much. But I'm here to give you the last company you'll have in a while. Answer some questions before it gets started. Ah, before I forget," he chuckled, whipping out a knife and slicing the ropes. The two thugs behind him put the trays down and scurried out, as soon as Izaya rubbed at his wrists._

 _Without hesitation, the raven pushed the man over, letting a blade slice out of his hand. His eyes narrowed._

 _"What is going on?"_

 _"No need for brute force, Izaya. I already said I'd answer some questions. Besides, it'd be best for you if you didn't kill me. As long as things run smoothly, Namie - that's her name, right? - will be a-okay."_

 _Izaya froze, shoving his hand closer to the man's throat._

 _"What's going on? Who has Namie? Answer quickly. I am not entirely patient when things don't go the way I want."_

 _"Neither is Shiki. Sit back, Izaya. Let's talk."_

 ___

 _"Shiki is the boss of the Japanese division of the arena. I'm his favorite lapdog, basically, but he's just a nice ol' soldier here who has some close ties to the scientists. In short, they did him a favor, and now he's giving them his reward for being so compliant."_

 _Izaya watched as the red head painted the raven's arm with the white paint, covering any bit of flesh that would show._

 _"What is this?"_

 _"I can't answer that. Well, I can, but I'm not supposed'ta."_

 _"Where is Namie?"_

 _"Same answer."_

 _"What's with the white paint?"_

 _"Same answer."_

 _Izaya frowned._

 _"What can you tell you me?"_

 _"Hmm. Ah, that's right. There's a chip in a cheek. Not only does it prevent that pretty little brand from healing up, but it also keeps you in line. Try to take off any of your clothes, take off the paint, or try to kill yourself, you get a nice little shock right to your head. I can also tell you that your little - uh - scene trick?"_

 _"Perception manipulation."_

 _"Same thing. Anyway, you might not want to try that out too much in here. Just a nice little warning I thought I'd tell ya."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"I can't tell you that."_

 _"You're useless. What is a useless person like you doing as some kind of high-up's lap dog?"_

 _The red head smiled, leaning back on the wall._

 _"You might want to eat up. That's the last time you'll see your reflection in a while."_

 ___

 _Izaya ran his hand on the brand, wincing at his own touch. There was a '2' on his. It was the color of his flesh, sure, but he still felt the burn. He had already emptied his food tray and water that - may he add - he was not allowed to look at. Finally, the red head swiped the tray from his hand, and the two thugs were back and grabbing at the empty dishes. Izaya narrowed his eyes, trying to memorize the place where the door was._

 _As the men walked out, the red smirked, looking back at the raven in the corner of his eyes._

 _"Next time I see you, Izaya, I'm going to kill you. That's my job as the high-up's lap dog."_

 ___

 _Day 13._

 _Izaya had been given food every day on a white plate, with the white food, and the white cup. He didn't see anyone. He'd wake up, and it'd be there. One meal a day. No one talked to him._

 _The raven slammed his head on the wall behind him._

 ___

 _Day 57._

 _Izaya was pacing back and forth, rubbing his fingers against the wall for the door. He still couldn't find it._

 ___

 _Day 109._

 _Izaya took off his sock. He had to see color. Anything but white. The paint wasn't chipping. As soon as he pulled slightly on it, a shock rushed through his body, causing the raven to seize._

 _His chest protruded as his knees collapsed. He felt his body shaking, but he felt distant from his body. He screamed in pain as the electricity continued flowing inside of him, but he couldn't make it stop._

 _He was on the floor, drooling and his body twitching on the floor when it stopped. He caught his breath, wincing as he gained control of his bodily functions slowly._

 _He didn't try to do that, again._

 ___

 _Day 204._

 _There was a new ritual happening. Men in white. White paint covering their entire bodies, white clothes. White contacts. Spray-painted white hair._

 _The first time they came, Izaya fought back. They never spoke. They just touched._

 _There were 2 men, 2 women._

 _Women rode him, staring at him with blank contacts. Men rammed into him, staring at him with the same, alien eyes._

 _It had been happening for a week, and Izaya still begged for them to speak. His head hurt all the time. The voice was louder than it had ever been before._

 ___

 _Day 313._

 _Izaya stopped fighting._

 ___

 _Day 365._

 _Izaya sat in his illusions, but he couldn't remember certain things. He wanted to picture his street at home, before the world he lived in was the world he lived in._

 _All he saw was white._

 _A white room._

 ___

 _Day ?_

 _Izaya forgot what his face looked like. His voice sounded unfamiliar._

 ___

 _?_

 _The raven slammed his head into a wall. His arms hung from his sides, and the wounds from any kind of cut he made were healing. He was still twitching from the electricity._

 ___

 _The scientists watched from the one-way window as Izaya began laughing to himself, ripping off the flesh from his face. The laughter became louder and louder, and the scientists were filled with glee._

 ___

 ** _Iza, are you ready?_**

 _Izaya sat in the blankness of his mind. It had once been, he thought, a place of color and comfort, but it was simply white. His thoughts were white. His thoughts were empty._

 _And he was more comfortable in his mind than he was in reality. He let the voice take over._

 ___

"Izaya! Izaya, wake up! Shit. Shit, what do I do?"

Shizuo stared at the raven, watching as he twitched in his sleep. Shizuo wanted to run for help, but he was frozen.

Izaya snapped open his eyes, and there was nothing but white.

 ___ _-_ ___

 **I hope this chapter was a bit interesting! I found out about the "white room," and I thought it'd be perfect to put Izaya in it, in a sick twisted way. Why I love torturing my babies in fanfic, I have no idea. But the idea came to me, and I loved it.**

 **Please enjoy, and I'll be back soon! (◞ꈍ∇ꈍ** **)◞**


	10. Chapter 9: Red

**AN: Just saw it was only 2k words, and I am disappointed. It felt longer than that, so I'm going to write a bit more. This chapter is going to be really,** ** _really_** **short, but I just want a little bit more on the history of Shizuo/Kasuka. I'll go as I go.**

 **Anywho! I'll call this part two of Chapter 8. We'll call these two chapters.. um.. 'Colors.' (๑** **-﹏** **-๑** **) (Btw, I just discovered these cute little faces. My lord, I'm addicted to them.)**

 **Enjoy!**

 _Shizuo never liked fighting._

 _He would often see the other kids playing rough, but he already knew he couldn't. Not that he wanted to, anyway._

 _Most of the time, the brunette child would watch from the window of his home as the other children played, longing to be apart of a group of normality. He felt guilty for thinking so, sometimes, like he somehow blamed his brother. He didn't, but he felt as though his brother thought so. His brother seemed so sad when he looked at Shizuo._

* * *

 _Most of the villagers couldn't tell, as Kasuka had a rather deadpan face, but Shizuo could always read his older brother's expressions._

 _His brother had been much more sad lately, though._

 _And Shizuo knew it was his fault._

* * *

 _Kasuka had brought over girls plenty of times before, sometimes, even, men. The walls were thin, so he'd often hear the sounds of sex during the night, and he wondered why he never heard his brother. It always seemed to be alien voices, like his brother was not there._

 _The girls stopped coming though, and there was just one. Shizuo heard Kasuka with her._

 _Her name was Ruri. She was as deadpan as Kasuka sometimes, and they seemed to be able to read each other unlike anyone else. Shizuo could sometimes tell which emotions Ruri had, but it was only because of the time he spent with Kasuka._

 _Ruri stopped coming over, though, when Shizuo asked if she was pregnant. She had gotten a tad larger, and he asked with curiosity, if the child would be just like him._

 _Kasuka and Ruri fought that night, and his brother's voice rose for the first time since Shizuo could remember._

 _He never saw Ruri after that, and Kasuka told Shizuo that she wasn't pregnant. When the brunette asked if he had hurt her feelings by calling out her large stomach, Kasuka shook his head and told his little brother that she was just gaining weight._

 _"There won't be anyone like you, Shizuo."_

 _The way Kasuka said it felt more like poison, but Shizuo knew his brother would never say anything full of malice. He knew his brother was probably just sad that Ruri wouldn't be coming over._

 _Shizuo smiled, hugging his older brother and telling him he'd always be there._

* * *

 _Kasuka was becoming more and more distant. Shizuo would see less and less of his brother, and he seemed to be avoiding doing the entertainment he once did for the village children._

 _Most nights, the older brother would lie in bed and stare at his ceiling, completely unaware Shizuo would watch him from the door frame wondering why his brother would lay in bed and not sleep._

 _He probably couldn't see Shizuo, though, as he had covered his window with a red blanket._

* * *

 _The elder brother began drinking, mostly red wine. He would accidentally knock Shizuo over and let out a weak apology before hiding in his room. Shizuo would bring him the food he forgot to eat for days. Kasuka would thank him, but he would never eat it._

 _The younger brother knew Kasuka would eat when he felt like it. He always loved when Shizuo made him sweets, so he'd try to make them when he found enough money to buy them. He began counting change._

* * *

 _Shizuo had turned 11 some time ago, and he saw a child that looked like Ruri with a large red bow in her hair. There was also something much more familiar about the child, but Shizuo couldn't place his finger on it._

 _He couldn't wait to tell Kasuka about seeing her, but when he did, the older brother didn't seem all too happy._

 _Shizuo realized how much his brother missed Ruri._

* * *

 _Kasuka wouldn't talk most days. Most of the time, he'd drink red wine all day, and when Shizuo would greet him, his brother would simply say,_

 _"I do love you, brother."_

 _Shizuo loved him, too._

* * *

 _Shizuo fell to his knees as he saw Kasuka. His brother had a broken glass of wine in his hand and a picture of him and Shizuo under him. Shizuo wept, pulling the picture and holding it._

 _Shizuo couldn't keep the picture, though, as Kasuka's face was covered by red._

 _There was only red._

* * *

Shizuo stared at Izaya, trying to wake the twitching Original. He froze.

The raven's eyes were terrifying, yes, but Shizuo realized what was happening as a tint of red replaced Izaya's normal black hair.

Soon, Shizuo only saw red.

 **I wanted Shizuo to have something similar to Izaya, but I also know Kasuka really does love Shizuo. I couldn't bring myself to make Kasuka abusive or anything. I could just see Kasuka being depressed and a young Shizuo not realizing it because Shizuo is just a big, tall bucket of happiness and sunshine. （** ´▽｀ **;）**

 **Also, I just wanted to add that if you guys DO want a Q/A, it can be questions OTHER than asking the cast.**

 **Like, if you guys have questions that I could answer about the story, I would answer that. For example, to the reviewer asking me if the Originals can die in other ways besides for the heart and brain:**

 **Yes, actually! Originals can die metaphorically.**

 **If a Berzerk is in control for too long, then their existence basically becomes a consciousness instead of a soul that can take control! So, while their body is still alive and there is something controlling it, the Original is no longer strong enough to take back its body. This is why Kida and Shinra pushed Izaya out of the village. He wouldn't calm down, and they couldn't bring themselves to kill him themselves, so he was casted out.**

* * *

 **Oooo, I actually kind of like that! Okay, okay. There won't be a Q/A per se, but if you guys want to ask questions, I will answer 1-2 each chapter at the end. Woot! New things! This'll be fun. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ**


	11. Chapter 10: Visitor

Izaya rubbed his temples.

"We need to hide the town immediately."

Kida shook his head violently, furrowing his eyebrows.

"We need weeks of preparation. We can't just hide it, Izaya. You know it's not that easy."

The raven clicked his tongue, eyeing Shizuo across the room. The blond looked confused and desperate to catch on. The Original had realized his emotions were controlling even his dreams, and it was becoming harder to suppress things. His voice was much stronger than anyone in the room's because of the trade off he made years ago.

And that voice was his reasoning. So was the scar in cheek.

His voice laughed louder each day, and his scar stung like never before.

He rubbed at it. He vaguely recalled Red Head telling him about a chip in his cheek. He remembered that it would occasionally burn and recollected something about the chip sending information to the scientists about his blood. He also knew he had tried to cut the chip out, breaking it into shards, and causing the scar to last.

Did this mean they were still getting information on him? He rolled his head back.

He figured. Having that many soldiers in Shizuo's village for one man didn't seem quite right. Having heavy explosives didn't add up.

And the lone soldier also mentioned 'them,' even if Shizuo was the only offspring left in the town. Unless Shizuo lied about that - which Izaya doubted - the infected there couldn't be all that strong if they felt Shizuo was their only hope and sent him out alone.

He rubbed his forehead, looking up at Kida.

"Something is coming, Masaomi."

The younger blond raised an eyebrow, his attention being caught at Izaya using his name. He sighed, leaning back.

"Even if something is coming, we can't just hide the to-"

The Originals in the room looked up, furrowing their eyebrows. Shizuo's ears were filled with a loud ring, like something shooting off. Izaya stood, balling his fists as the town shook. Something hit the walls.

The group ran out of Kida's small home, stopping immediately when the smoke cleared.

_

"Stay calm, everyone! Stay calm. I'm just here for a certain yo- Ah, there he is! Hello, Izaya."

Izaya's mouth twitched slightly, Shizuo noted. He looked back at the red head, smiling, twirling his cane in the air. The cane spun on his finger before he gripped at it tightly, pointing it at the raven.

"We found you! Shiki would'a been kind of mad at me if this nifty little thing the crew back at home didn't work right. Good for them, right?"

Izaya narrowed his eyes, and Shizuo tried to put his hand on his shoulder in some form of comfort.

Izaya was gone, and he looked over, just in time to see some shape flashing towards the red head.

_

The town coughed, hiding out in houses and crying out at the sand in their eyes. Shizuo waited for his hair to stop waving violently in the wind, putting his hand up to block out sand as the others did.

The sand cloud settled, and Shizuo's eyes widened.

Izaya's arms were settled on the cane, blades being blocked by the staff. His feet settled on the wall of a home next to him, meaning he had put full force into the swing. The red head smirked, pushing the raven off.

Izaya jumped back, smiling widely at the man in front of him.

"Ah, you're not as slow as the other lapdogs," the raven laughed. He stuck his arms into the air at his sides, blades slicing from each side. The red head winked, pointing his cane out. A loud ring shot through Shizuo's ears, and Izaya jumped to the side. Shizuo's eyes widened when he felt warmth run down his cheek. He rubbed his cheek, looking at his fingers. He was bleeding. The blond looked over, seeing a large dent in the wall next to him. Shinra's eyebrows popped up, rushing over to Shizuo.

"What is that look-"

"Why aren't you healing?"

Shizuo's eyes widened, realizing he could still feel the blood run down his cheek.

Shinra pursed his lips, looking over at the fight.

Izaya was hard to keep eyes on. He moved quick and bounced away to avoid being targeted. Shizuo realized, though, that Izaya hadn't shown him just what he was capable of.

The raven flipped, his foot heading towards the red head's neck like a kick. Instead, a blade slid out at the last second, cutting into the red head's throat. The cut was shallow as the other man jammed his cane into the raven's stomach, causing Izaya to have to quickly grab at the cane and jump over the other's head.

He slid back and pushed himself forward, and Shizuo realized the raven was smiling. The smile was wide, and his eyes flashed every time he jumped forward.

Shinra, Celty, and Kida had ran off to aid citizens hit by rogue bullets, trying to hurry and save lives. Shizuo, however, couldn't move at all.

He was in a trance, hypnotized by the movements of the two in front of him.

Izaya had cut the man several times, the other huffing and rubbing blood from his face. Izaya looked out of breath, but he still looked amused. When Izaya landed another hit, cutting the man's head, he sighed, however.

"I expected more from you. I'm tired of this now." Izaya's smile fell, a look of boredom replacing his previously entertained demeanor. Izaya shot forward, his arms firmly positioned in a X form. His elbows landed on the man's shoulders, and Shizuo realized the raven was about to decapitate the red head. He closed his eyes, wincing.

His eyes widened as he heard a gun shot.

He watched as Izaya's eyes shot open, blood spilling from his mouth. The red head smirked widely under the man, pushing the raven off with his cane. Izaya rolled onto the ground, slamming into a rock. He wheezed, holding his hand over his stomach. He winced at the contact, trying to push himself up.

Shizuo couldn't move, but he saw no one else could, either. Kida, Celty, Shinra, Saki: the town in general all watched in horror as the intruder walked towards Izaya, jamming his cane into the wound. Everyone's ears filled with Izaya's cries. The second strongest Original put his hand on the man's leg, shoving a blade through it. The red head laughed, slamming his cane onto Izaya's throat, pushing in. Izaya's eyes widened, gripping at the cane and shoving up. The red head slammed his foot onto Izaya's stomach, causing the raven to cry out, loosening his grip on the cane. His eyes filled with tears as he gasped for air, trying to hold his own.

"I can't die like this, idiot," Izaya laughed, "so you should finish it before I do."

The intruder laughed, kicking Izaya's head into the rock. He shoved his cane onto the raven's forehead, smirking.

"Then I guess I will, Izaya Orihara."

The raven smirked, looking off.

"Never got a name, did you, eh?"

The red smiled, nodding his head.

"That's true. Won't even get to know the name of the man who killed you."

"You won't even get proper recognition for being the one who killed me, neh? Just 'the guy who killed Izaya Orihara."

"Don't give yourself too much credit, kiddo. They'd just call you 2."

Izaya laughed, pursing his lips. He prepped himself for nothingness.

But it never came as the red head dropped his cane and went flying.

His eyes widened as his visioned was filled with blood, but it wasn't his own.

-

 **I had a lot more planned, but I've been watching Durarara crack for, like, 3 hours. (Plus little clips from Youtube. Anyone remember that scene when Izaya called Shizuo on the phone, and he threw the knife? And then Shizuo caught it with his teeth. And then Izaya made his cute little, "I guess" face. Ahhh. I replayed that scene like 15 times, to be honest.) I'll come back to it when I think of a way to transition this. ENJOY. Sorry this one is kind of rushed. I can't think of anything serious because of all that crack. :(**


	12. Chapter 11: Sick Dogs Get Put Down

**AN: I'm sorry, guys. I've been writing off and on, and my Doc Manager is filled with drafts, but I'm at a loss at what to do. Where the story kept going in my head with OC's started falling off for the rest of the fic, so I'm trying really hard to get their personalities in (I feel as if they've been a lot OOC, and it's stressing me out. LOL.) I'm trying to be regular again, but motivation and inspiration like to run off when you need them. I'm really sorry, and thank you for sticking through. Next update will be a lot better, but I just got back home from Christmas running-around. Exhausted. I'm really, really sorry.**

 **Sorry, as well, for the suuuper short chapter.**

* * *

Izaya looked up, realizing the blood dripping on his face was Shizuo's.

The blond held his shoulder as his face grew into a frightening scowl, eyes glowing with rage. The red head let out a left, using his cane to lift himself.

"Got a lapdog of your own, 2?"

"His name is Izaya," Shizuo barked out, balling up his fist. "And I'm not letting you touch him."

Izaya growled under the blond, pushing himself up. He realized how much damage was done to him and collapsed, coughing.

"Go away, Shizuo. You aren't getting between th-"

"We're not giving you an option."

Izaya raised an eyebrow. We?

Shizuo began running towards the red head, and Izaya's eyes widened.

Brown melted over his hair - on a single side.

The red head's eyes opened wide, hurridedly shoving his cane to protect him.

Shizuo's fist broke the cane in half and his fist landed in the other lapdog's throat.

In.

He watched as Shizuo smiled widely, grabbing at the other's head and pushing it forward as his fist shoved through to the other side of his neck.

He watched as the other went limp.

He watched as the half blond ripped his arm from the throat and smirked as the body hit the ground.

He looked over at Izaya, and the Original's blood ran cold.

Shizuo's eyes were different colors - one was his usual chocolate and the other empty.

White.

Kida stood, eyes widening.

"Just... Just like Anri."

He looked down at the doctor, who's eyebrows were furrowed. Shinra's eyes softened, and he shook his head.

"Let's just help who we can. We will deal with that later."

* * *

Shizuo sat in the couch next to Izaya's bed as Kida put his hands on the raven's chest.

"Who knew they had such interesting devices?" Shinra smiled, looking at the shards of the bullet he had pulled out of the Original's chest.

Kida apologized before clapping, the rest of the shards Shinra couldn't get turning into a pole. Izaya yelped as the manipulator pulled the pole out.

"Want me to do the cheek?" Shinra hummed, putting the tweezers close to the raven's cheek. Izaya bit his lip before shaking his head.

"I've decided that I'm going to keep it. It's been with me too long now."

"Who knew you were sentimental, Orihara?"

The raven chuckled.

"I'm not. I just like having a signature."

The other Originals shook their heads, looking over at Shizuo.

"I'll handle it," Izaya muttered grimly - quietly.

* * *

Izaya woke the blond with a kiss.

Shizuo's eyes widened, and he weakly smiled.

"You saved me today, Shi-zu," Izaya chuckled, nipping at the other's jawline.

A shiver ran down the younger boy's spine.

He picked up the raven, tossing him on their shared bed and climbing over him.

"I couldn't watch you die in front of me, Izaya."

The raven pulled the other's shirt off, running his lithe fingers on Shizuo's chest. The blond buried his face in Izaya's neck, nibbling and kissing each spot for a time before moving on.

Izaya's eyes fell to the side as he stopped rubbing at Shizuo's chest, shaking. Shizuo smiled at the sentiment from the raven, placing his hand atop the small one over his heart.

The raven didn't smile back.

He felt the blade in his bones slowly start coming out, and he closed his eyes as he let it rip from his skin.


End file.
